Unakoti Bar Association Election : BJP-Aligned Lawyers Say They Boycotted Polls Over Alleged Irregularities, Threaten Legal Action
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 21, 2026
The controversy surrounding the Unakoti District Bar Association election has taken a new turn, with lawyers considered close to the BJP claiming that they did not fail to field candidates for the election, as reported in some quarters, but instead boycotted the electoral process in protest against alleged irregularities in the functioning of the outgoing committee and the preparation of the voters’ list.
The development comes after a Left-Congress-supported panel was declared elected unopposed in the Unakoti District Bar Association election. Reports published on September 20 stated that the BJP legal cell had not fielded candidates, following which the rival panel secured an uncontested victory.
However, according to the BJP-aligned lawyers, the absence of their candidates should not be interpreted as an inability to contest the election. They have alleged that the decision was a deliberate boycott because of what they describe as multiple irregularities in the election process, particularly concerning the voters’ list and the deletion of the names of several lawyers.
The principal issue raised by them is the change in the number of eligible voters. According to the allegations raised during a press interaction, the voters’ list initially contained 78 members up to February this year, while a subsequently published list contained only 67 names. The deletion of 11 lawyers from the electoral roll has prompted questions about the criteria and procedure followed by the existing committee.
The BJP-aligned lawyers have demanded an explanation as to why the names of the 11 members were removed and whether the affected lawyers were given an opportunity to raise objections before the revised voters’ list was finalised.
They have also questioned the circumstances surrounding the preparation of the electoral roll and alleged that a technical method or process adopted during the preparation of the list resulted in certain lawyers being excluded from voting.
Another issue raised by the lawyers concerns members who are engaged in legal-aid-related assignments. They have reportedly argued that some lawyers associated with the District Legal Services Authority, State Legal Services Authority and Kailashahar Legal Services Committee are not regular government employees. Rather, such lawyers may be engaged for specified legal-aid assignments and receive remuneration based on the work performed and reports submitted.
Official records confirm that the District Legal Services Authority, Unakoti, functions from the premises of the Unakoti District Bar Association in Kailashahar, while legal-aid counsel can be engaged on a contractual basis under the Legal Aid Defense Counsel Scheme.
The BJP-aligned lawyers have therefore questioned whether involvement in such legal-aid work, by itself, can constitute a ground for exclusion from the Bar Association’s electoral roll. They have sought a clear explanation of the eligibility rules applied while finalising the voters’ list.
The dispute has now moved beyond the question of whether a particular political group could field candidates. The lawyers maintaining the boycott position have said that their primary objection relates to the credibility and transparency of the election process itself.
They have alleged that the outgoing committee failed to provide satisfactory answers regarding the voters’ list and other procedural matters. According to their position, participation in an election without resolving such questions would not have been appropriate, prompting them to stay away from the electoral contest.
The lawyers have also indicated that they are considering approaching the court if the alleged irregularities are not properly addressed.
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