Kathmandu, January 11:

About nine thousand lawyers are set to cast their vote to elect new leadership of the Nepal Bar Association on Saturday.

According to a central member of the NBA, Tika Ram Bhattarai, 9194 lawyers will cast their votes on Saturday. Lawyers will elect 17 member executive body for the next three years. NBA current president advocate Shambhu Thapa team will complete its tenure after two months.

Senior advocate Bishwokanta Mainali is leading the progressive panel backed by progressive and communist forces while another senior advocate Basanta Ram Bhandari is leading democratic panel with support of the Nepali congress and other democratic forces.

According to the chief election officer of the NBA Speaker of the House of Representatives Subas Nembang will not cast his vote this time. He has informed election office that as he is currently holding a public post so he will not exercise his vote this time. Nembang is a professional lawyer and was elected general secretary of the NBA a couple of years ago.

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and State Minister for Labour and Transport Management, Ramesh Lekhak, Attorney General Yagya Murti Banjade and some MPs are yet to inform whether they will cast thier vote or not. But Lekhak has recently transferred his polling centre from Dhangadi to Kathmandu.

There will be regional polling centres in main cities like Biratnagar, Jhapa, Rajbiraj, Janakupur, Hetaunda, Pokhara, Butwal, Dhangadi, Mahendra Nagar and Dipayal along with sub centres.

Advocate Hari Prasad Uprety is contesting for the post of vice-president from Central Development Region and Raman Shrestha is contesting for the post of General Secretary from the progressive panel. Advocate and Law Professor Purnaman Shakya is contesting for the post of vice-president and Upendra Keshari Neupane is contesting for the post of General Secretary from the democratic panel.