HYDERABAD, Jan 18: Same old faces are vying for main slots of Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) in annual elections which are scheduled for Saturday as electioneering reached a feverish pitch after issuance of final list of candidates was displayed on Thursday by election committee.

Entire premises of session court is covered with stickers, pamphlets, posters and even banners had been hoisted on the buildings by candidates, seeking support for them.

The candidates accelerated the pace of canvassing in the last couple of days, visiting voters in their offices, homes and inviting them to dinners or teas to seek their support.

Give history of the bar the fact that candidates having support of People's Lawyers Forum would be in a comfortable position could not be ruled out although they may face tough resistance from the young lawyers. The forum has not so far put its weight behind any candidate.

But a look on the list of candidates makes association of contestants very clear. Other candidates are believed to be contesting independently.

Abdul Aziz Sheikh, who had served as president HDBA is once again vying for the post against Zahoor Baloch while Abdul Jabbar Khaskheli is an independent candidate. Advocate Zahoor Baloch, once a supporter of PPP-SB, is once again testing his luck for the post of president although he has not been successful so far despite having contested elections in the last couple of years and having enjoyed backing of senior colleagues of legal fraternity like Hidayatullah Abbasi, Jhematmal Jethanand, Hassan Mehmood Beg and others. “I will not let opponents go uncontested”, Baloch pledged.

For the last several years HDBA is dominated by People's Law Forums-backed advocates as the incumbent president Chaudhry Bashir Gujjar is also an old PPP stalwart. Abdul Sattar Kazi and Allah Bachayo Soomro, president and secretary of Hyderabad High Court Bar Association are senior forum office-bearers always been active drumming up support for their candidates.

The sitting secretary Noor ul Haq Qureshi is attempting re-election for the said post against Nasreen Qadri and Idrees Naqshbandi.

Likewise, former vice president Abdul Khaliq Leghari is once again vying for the said post against Haji Kareem Bux, Mir Sikandar Ali Talpur, Mrs. Shaheen Zahur and Rehmatullah Hisbani.