Polls of Bangladesh Bar Council, the central body of all the lawyers, will be held on 20 May with a total of 48,465 lawyers set to exercise their franchise.

Polls campaign seeking votes is being continued all over the country through distribution of leaflets, short message service (SMS) on mobile phones on behalf of the candidates.

The casting of votes will continue from 10:00am to 5:00pm and the voting centre will be installed at the Supreme Court Lawyers Association Bhaban in the capital, all the district level civil courts premises and country's 12 upazila level civil courts premises including Bajitpur.

Finally sixty-one candidates will take part in voting contest for electing fourteen membership posts.

The Bar Council election usually takes place in three years interval.

Bar Council runs comprising with 15 members where the Attorney General holds the post of Bar Council chairman as ex-officio.

And the rest 14 members are elected by the direct votes from the lawyers or advocates. Out of the 14 elected members, one becomes elected vice-chairman.

Awami League backed 'Sammilito Ainjibi Samannay Parishad, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) backed 'Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Panel', 'Ainjibi Oikya Parishad and other candidates are also participating in the polls.

The ruling party backed candidates are senior advocate and former Supreme Court Bar President Barrister M Amirul Islam, Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder and Barrister Rokonuddin Mahmud, Advocate Abdul Matin Khosru, Advocate Parimal Chandra Guho, Advocate Z I Khan Panna and former general secretary of Supreme Court Bar Advocate SM Rezaul Karim.

BNP backed Lawyers Oikya Panel candidates are present president of Supreme Court Bar and Senior Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossen, former president of Supreme Court Bar and former Attorney General Abdul Jamil Mohammad Ali, present general secretary of Supreme Court Bar Barrister AM Mahbubuddin (Khokon), former president of Dhaka Bar Advocate Sanaullah Mia, former General secretary of Supreme Court Bar Barrister Badruddoza Badal, former president of Dhaka Bar Advocate Borhanuddin and Advocate Mohsin Mia.