KATHMANDU, April 5: The progressive panel led by senior advocate Chandeshwar Shrestha won 23 of the total 25 seats in the lawyers’ election that elected the central executive committee of the Nepal Bar Association on Thursday.
The rival democratic panel won the posts of general secretary at the center and vice president of Province 5.
Shrestha was elected to the top post securing 4,022 votes while his nearest rival from the Democratic Lawyers Association (DLA), advocate Sunil Pokhrel, secured 3,873 votes.
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As progressive panel, which is close to the ruling Nepal Communist Party, won overwhelming seats, Leelamani Paudel and Sunil Shrestha of the DLA were elected as general secretary and vice president of Province 5 respectively.
Newly-elected President Shrestha vowed to bring reforms to the judiciary and fulfill the promises made during the election campaign. Shrestha will lead the panel for three years as his predecessors from the Democratic Panel led the umbrella organizations of lawyers for two previous terms.
Those winning the posts of vice presidents from progressive panel are Man Bahadur Rumdali (Province 1); Ram Chandra Singh (Province 2); Ishwari Prasad Bhattarai (Province 3); Surendra Thapa Magar (Province 4); Min Bahadur Mahat (Province 6) and Umesh Prasad Bhatta (Province 7).
Tresurer Rudra Pokharel of the same panel defeated Tej Rawal of democratic.
Rakshya Basyal of progressive team was elected vice president under women quota and Mohan Sasankar was elected member under Dalit quota.
Other members elected under various categories are Pancha Narayan Mandal, Birendra Kumar Thakur; Bina Kumar Singh Chaudhari; Badri Narayan Nagarkoti, Kalpana Kumari Bhandari, Anju Kayastha, and Shiva Raj Pundit.
Also Ganga Sagar Khatri, Bhimsen Banjara, Bhuwan Niraula, Prakash Maharjan, Balkrishna Gaire and Khimananda Adhikari were elected as central members representing progressive panel.
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