Odisha bar council polls: 96 candidates in fray for 25 posts, 34900 lawyers to cast votes

The elections to the Odisha State Bar Council were being held today. While the elections are being conducted for 25 member posts, 96 candidates are in the fray. As many as 34,908 lawyers are going to exercise their franchise to elect the members. 

There are 182 bar associations that are affiliated with the Odisha State Bar Council. For the smooth conduct of the elections, 167 polling stations have been set up across the State. Similarly, the voting, which started at 10am, will continue till 5pm. 

In Cuttack, 25 booths have been set up-19 booths on the campus of the district session judge court and the rest 6 on the campus of the SDJM. 

According to returning officer retired justice Pramath Patnaik, since there is a preferential vote system, a voter can exercise as many as 25 preferences. And, a voter has to exercise a minimum of five preferences, or else, the ballot may stand as rejected. 

The election day, Saturday, has been declared a holiday for the High Court and subordinate courts. 

Expressing her joy in participating in the election process, a female voter said, “Today is an important day. The elections were held after a long gap. However, the participation percentage of female candidates is very poor. More and more should participate in the process.” 

While the counting will start on April 21, the staff of the Odisha Assembly will count the votes and it will continue for 2 months. 

However, there will be no elections in Sambalpur district due to the imposition of curfew in the aftermath of the violence.

It is pertinent to mention here that the elections to the State Bar Council were held last in 2014. With the process for the identification of the non-practising advocates being not completed, the elections could not be held even after the expiry of the five-year term in 2019.