BASL polls today

COLOMBO: Elections to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) will be held today to elect a new President and Secretary to this most influential lawyers body.

Three contenders are in the race for the President's post. They are W. Dayaratne, a former President of the Colombo Law Society and a long-standing member of the BASL, Upul Jayasooriya, current President of the Colombo Law Society and S. Thangaraja, a senior lawyer from Jaffna.

The Secretary's post is being contested by P.R. Ranawaka of the Colombo Magistrate's Courts Lawyers Association and U. R. de Silva, former Assistant Secretary of the BASL.

More than 9,000 lawyers are eligible to vote at today's Poll. Voting will be held at 40 District Courts islandwide commencing at 7am and ending at 4 pm.

Colombo tops the voter count with 5,000 lawyers eligible to cast their ballot followed by Kandy and Gampaha. Voting in Colombo will take place at the Consultation Room of the Colombo Law Library.

The first result is expected to be out by 5 pm, according to a senior Colombo Lawyer.