Cuttack: Keen contest for several key posts appears to be on cards as the interim elections to all bar associations affiliated to the Odisha State Bar Council (OSBC) kick started across the State on Saturday morning.
The polling process for the elections, which are being held to form the annual executive body of the bar associations for (the remaining period of) 2020-21, began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm. It will be followed by the counting of votes and declaration of results on today itself.
OSBC, which is the apex statutory body for 167 affiliated bar associations in the State, is conducting the elections on a single day for the first time following the decision of ‘one bar, one vote’.
According to sources, the executive members of a number of bar associations across the state including undivided Koraput district have been elected unopposed due to the interim election. However, it is expected that many other bar associations like Jeypore will witness a tough contest. There will be straight fights for the important posts of president, secretary and joint secretary in Jeypore.
Election officers of bar associations have taken all necessary precautions and safety measures as well as adherence to the guidelines issued by the Central and State Governments in view of Covid-19 pandemic, such as use of masks, sanitizer, social distancing by creating extra polling booths to minimise crowding.
It is worth mentioning that the State Bar Council had twice postponed the elections to different bar associations in the State. Initially, it was supposed to be held on March 28, but was postponed to April 25 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On August 17, the Orissa High Court had directed the OSBC to complete the process of election to all bar associations by December 15.