Bhubaneswar: Polling for elections to 155 bar associations across Odisha is underway today, with over 38,000 lawyers eligible to cast their votes to elect new office bearers. Sundargarh, Umarkote, and Jatni associations have been excluded from the process due to administrative and local reasons, officials said.
The elections, conducted under the supervision of the Odisha State Bar Council, began in the morning and will continue till 3 p.m. Voting is proceeding smoothly in most associations, with strict measures in place to ensure transparency and fairness. Immediately after polling concludes, counting of votes will begin, and final results are expected to be declared later in the day.
A total of 38,883 advocates are eligible to exercise their franchise, making this one of the largest exercises for the state’s legal fraternity in recent years. The Odisha State Bar Council had circulated the final electoral rolls to all participating associations in advance to ensure a smooth process.
To maintain accountability, the council has directed that the entire polling process be videographed. All bar associations have been instructed to submit copies of the recordings to the council once voting concludes. Officials said this measure is aimed at preventing any disputes and ensuring transparency in the elections.
Lawyers participating in the elections expressed enthusiasm over the opportunity to choose their representatives, calling it an important step in strengthening the bar associations’ functioning.
