LAHORE, Oct 29: Supreme Court Bar Association’s members are all set to elect their new leadership for the year 2012-13 while candidates continued their months-long election campaign even during Eid days.

It is observed that Eidul Azha’s holidays ahead of bar elections (to be held on Oct 31) did not disturb the electioneering but candidates took great benefit of holidays and continued their campaign in shape of Eid greetings and meal parties.

Candidates for president’s slot in particular arranged feasts at their residences for supporters during the Eid days.

These activities will continue on Tuesday (today) as two main candidates for president’s slot Mian Israrul Haq and Ahmad Awais have hosted final dinners on the last day of the campaign. Both are likely to hold press conferences to announce their election agenda a day before the polling day. Barrister Zafarullah Khan is the third candidate for the top slot.

In legal fraternity hosting lunches and dinners in five-star hotels has become a necessary practice for the candidates contesting election of any bar association or council.

Most of the lawyers believe that this expensive custom has made election contest a dream for a common practicing lawyer. Every year soon after the announcement of election’s schedule candidates accelerate hosting meal parties for their supporters and to show their strength against opposing candidates.

Since most of the bars elections are held in the winter season the “fish party” becomes the buzz word among lawyers that lead to election discussion. However, lawyers say that every guest at such parties is not the voter of the hosting candidate.

This year a senior bar member, Malik Tariq Aziz, has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking a ban on the lavish spending by candidates during the election campaign. Mr Aziz pleads that a candidate should be allowed to spend a maximum amount of Rs300,000 for the campaign. The petition is still pending.

Haq is a candidate of the Democratic Independent Group and Awais of the Professional Group of lawyers while Khan is an independent candidate. Both have been presidents of Lahore High Court Bar Association. Haq is contesting his first election of the SCBA while Awais is trying his luck for second time as he had lost his first election in 2010 against Asma Jahangir.

Nine candidates are in the run for four slots of vice-president from all provinces. They are Muhammad Riaz Khan Swati and Abdullah Kakar from Balochistan, Jamal Khattak and Muhammad Arif Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Tahir Chaudhry and Rana Naeem Sarwar from Punjab while Abbas Ali, Ain-ud-Din Khan and Syed Jamil Ahmed from Sindh. Javed Iqbal Raja and Muhammad Sohail Dar are vying for one seat of secretary.

Abdul Majeed Khan, Fayaz Ahmed Rana and Muhammad Saleheen Mughal are in run for one seat of additional secretary. Abdul Rashid Qari and Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Ghumman are contesting for one seat of finance secretary.

A total of 2,592 eligible voters are likely to exercise their right to vote at nine polling stations across the country.

Polling stations will be established in Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Peshawar, Abbotabad, Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur and Islamabad. Vice-chairmen of provincial bar councils will perform as presiding officers in provincial capitals and presidents of high court bar associations at regional polling stations.

A great festivity will be seen in Lahore as highest number of voters hail from the city. Candidates for presidential slot will also be in Lahore on the polling-day.