Bar Council of Rajasthan Elections Face Major Disruption with Polling Cancelled at Four Stations
Voting for the Bar Council of Rajasthan (BCR) elections encountered significant disruption on Wednesday, with polling cancelled at four key stations due to serious allegations of irregularities, mismanagement, and disorder. The affected polling stations included the Rajasthan High Court's Jaipur bench, as well as sessions courts in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Raisinghnagar.
Re-Polling to Be Scheduled After Election Committee Intervention
According to BCR officials, re-polling at these locations will be scheduled at a later date following the cancellation. While polling at other locations across the state was completed peacefully, the disruptions at these four stations created substantial controversy within the legal community.
The elections, being held after eight years and delayed by nearly three years in Rajasthan, contributed to heightened tension among lawyers and advocates. A total of 234 candidates, including 57 women, were competing for 23 available posts on the council, making this a particularly significant election for the state's legal profession.
Delayed Start and Escalating Tensions
Voting commenced at 9am, an hour later than originally scheduled, and proceeded slowly throughout the morning. Tensions escalated rapidly as lawyers expressed growing concerns over potential bogus voting and rigging. Protests erupted at both the high court and sessions court in Jaipur, with advocates accusing the election process of inadequate preparation and poor organization.
The situation deteriorated significantly prior to noon, resulting in the BCR election committee taking the drastic step of annulling the polling at the high court and Jaipur sessions court on grounds of mismanagement. Eyewitness accounts and videos shared on social media depicted advocates tearing up ballot papers amid chaotic scenes, further compounding allegations of candidates soliciting votes within polling premises.
Former Justice Criticizes Election Process
Former Justice Vinod Shankar Dave, aged 94, was the first to cast his vote in Jaipur after polling began late. Following the abrupt cancellation, Justice Dave termed it a "major failure of the process," highlighting the widespread dissatisfaction felt by many within the legal community regarding the election conduct.
The BCR elections, overseen by a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, had set up a total of 258 polling booths across Rajasthan. The high court's Jaipur bench housed the largest booth, with nearly 14,781 advocate voters registered, contributing to the city's status as having the highest number of total voters at around 22,000. Additional polling locations in Jaipur included sessions courts, family courts, and subordinate courts in Amer and Sanganer.
The disruption has raised serious questions about election management and transparency within the legal community's self-governance structures. Legal professionals across Rajasthan are now awaiting the rescheduled polling dates and hoping for a more organized and transparent process in the re-polling that will determine the composition of the Bar Council of Rajasthan for the coming term.
