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In an unprecedented development, all 21 posts in the Chattogram District Bar Association Election-2025 are set to be secured by the BNP-Jamaat-backed lawyers' panel without any contest.
This marks for the first time in the association's 132-year history that no voting will be held due to the absence of opposition candidates.
According to the Election Commission, 21 nomination forms have been submitted by an equal number of candidates - all aligned with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami-supported "Oikko Parishad" panel. No nomination papers have been submitted by pro-Awami League or left-leaning lawyers, who have alleged that they have been barred from even collecting forms.
Election Commissioner Advocate Md. Masudul Alam confirmed on Saturday afternoon that all 21 nominations were found valid after scrutiny, with no competitors for any position. "The formal announcement declaring the winners will be made tomorrow (today)." he said.
This effectively cancels the scheduled election on April 16. The candidates are now set to assume leadership without any vote.
According to the Election Commission, Abdus Sattar has submitted his nomination for the position of president; Mohammad Hasan Ali Chowdhury for general secretary; Alamgir Mohammad Yunus for vice president; Md. Fazlul Bari for joint general secretary; Mohammad Anwar Hossain for treasurer; Touhidul Islam for librarian; Ashrafi Binte Motaleb for cultural secretary; M. Manzur Hossain for sports secretary; and Abdul Jabbar for secretary of information and technology. All of them are from the Lawyers' Unity Council panel.
Additionally, nominations for 11 member posts have been submitted by Ahsan Ullah Manik, Asma Khanam, Bibi Fatema, Hel Uddin, Mezbah Ul Alam Amin, Md Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury, Md Rubaiyatul Karim, Md Shahed Hossain, Mohammad Morshed, Rahila Gulshan, and Sajjad Kamrul Hossain.
The pro-Awami League panel under the banner of Rashid-Jabed-Mahtab Parishad has accused the BNP-Jamaat panel of deliberately obstructing access to nomination forms. Md. Abdur Rashid Lokman, the proposed presidential candidate from the AL-backed group, claimed that they were prevented three times from collecting forms at the association's library on April 10.
Despite the submission of a formal complaint to the ad-hoc committee, no resolution was reached. "98 per cent of the members wanted to vote," said Lokman. "But a few individuals have tarnished the legacy of this institution."
He further alleged that the election commission itself violated the association's constitution. "According to the constitution, there should be a 72-hour window for collecting nomination forms. However, the commission allowed only two hours, which is a complete violation," he claimed.
About the allegations of obstruction in collecting nomination forms, Advocate Md Masudul Alam, one of the election commissioners, said, "We were inside the library room to distribute the nomination forms. If they can't reach the room, what can we do?"