Online Desk: Pro-Awami League lawyers’ group “White Panel” has gained a landslide victory in the Dhaka Bar Association (DBA) election, bagging all 23 posts in the 2023-2024 executive committee. Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu, who acted as the Chief Election Commissioner, announced the results at the DBA office today. Mizanur Rahman Mamun was elected president with 7,883 votes. His “Blue Panel” opponent Khorshed Miah Alam got 1,035 votes.

Khandakar Golam Kibria Jobayer was elected general secretary with 7,614 votes, defeating White Panel contestant Sayed Nazrul Islam, who got 1,514 votes. The BNP-backed lawyers’ group Blue Panel on Thursday boycotted voting in the polls bringing allegations of irregularities and rigging against Abdullah Abu. Khorshed Miah Alam claimed on a Facebook live video on Wednesday night that they observed irregularities and vote rigging.

He said BNP-backed election commissioners counted a total of 4,023 votes in the end of the first-day voting on Wednesday, but Abdullah Abu declared that a total of 5,028 voters cast their votes. However, Abdullah Abu said that pro-BNP lawyers’ allegations were totally false, fabricated and vague. The vote casting for the first day was fair and peaceful; and the lawyers cast their votes in a festive mood. The two-day election for the new committee at DBA, also the apex bar in Asia, was held on Wednesday and Thursday where a total of 9,243 out of 19,618 lawyers cast their votes. A total of 46 candidates from the two panels contested in the polls against 23 posts.

Among others, Rumana Zaman Ritu was elected as senior vice-president; Sree Prana Nath as vice-president; Bibi Fatema Munni as treasurer; Fahim Sharif as senior assistant general secretary; Mahbub Hossen Joy as assistant general secretary; Rezaul Huq Mia as library secretary; Shikha Islam as cultural secretary; Golam Kibria Sumon as office secretary; SM Mizanur Rahman as sports secretary; and Abul Hasnat Jihad as social welfare secretary.

The elected members are Gazi Emrul, Jahir Uddin, Ashiful Islam Murad, Aslam Hossain, Kamal Hossain, Tanzir Hossain Robin, Esmat Ara Sarmin, Nasir Uddin, Shanjoy Kumar Karmaker, Sharmin Sultana Tumpa and Yeasin Jahan Neshan.