Nagpur Lawyers Intensify Campaign for Maharashtra-Goa Bar Council Election
With the election to the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa scheduled for March 24, campaigning has gathered significant momentum across the state. A total of nine lawyers from Nagpur have entered the contest, intensifying their outreach among voters in the legal community.
Election Details and Candidate Profile
The council will elect 23 members, comprising 18 men and five women. Following the election, two additional women members will be nominated. A substantial 160 candidates have filed nominations for the upcoming polls, including 54 women candidates.
From Nagpur, the candidates in the fray are:
- Parijat Pande
- Asif Qureshi
- Anil Gowardipe
- Sagar Lambat
- Sanjay More
- Sandeep Nandeshwar
- Uma Bhattad
- Vaishali Khedikar
- Priyanka Chokhare
Several candidates have already begun meeting advocates and visiting bar associations across Maharashtra to present their agendas and platforms.
Experienced Incumbents and Political Backing
Among the candidates, Parijat Pande, Asif Qureshi, and Anil Gowardipe are currently serving members of the council. Their past tenure in the body positions them as experienced contenders with established track records.
Pande is additionally associated with the Advocates' Council, while Qureshi serves as a general secretary in the Maharashtra unit of the Congress party. This political affiliation provides Qureshi with additional organizational backing and visibility within the legal-political landscape.
Emergence of Younger Candidates
The election has drawn particular attention due to the emergence of several younger candidates contesting for the first time. Among them are Sagar Lambat, Sandeep Nandeshwar, and Sanjay More, who represent a new generation of legal professionals seeking leadership roles.
Lambat, a native of Nagpur, is the son of noted lawyer Kishor Lambat, a former secretary of the High Court Bar Association who currently practices before the Supreme Court of India. These younger candidates have appealed to voters to support fresh leadership and new perspectives within the council.
Special Category for Less Experienced Lawyers
Under the council's election rules, lawyers with less than 10 years of legal practice are eligible to contest under a separate category. Only four such lawyers from across Maharashtra are contesting this year, with Lambat being the sole representative from the Vidarbha region in this group.
Final Phase Campaigning Intensifies
With only a few days remaining before voting, meetings, interactions with advocates, and visits to various bar associations have intensified in Nagpur and other parts of the state. Candidates are expected to further amplify their outreach efforts in the coming days as the campaign enters its critical final phase.
The stage is set for a closely watched contest among the legal fraternity, with both established incumbents and fresh challengers vying for positions that will shape the direction of legal professional governance in Maharashtra and Goa.
