LAHORE - Ending their months long hectic campaign, two main candidates are now poised for a neck and neck straight fight for the president office of the Supreme Court Bar Association on Wednesday (today) when polling for this position and seven others are scheduled to be held throughout the country. Observers are rating the contest as one of the toughest fights in the bar history as it is the first main contest after the restoration of judiciary. Interestingly, this time the lawyers community seems to be divided as many frontline leaders of lawyers movement are backing Barrister Baachaa who is contesting election against Qazi Anwar, a candidate of Professional group led by Hamid Khan. Former president of Peshawar High court Latif Afridi, incumbent president Attique Shah, former president LHC Bar Association Anwar Kamal, Chairman executive committee Pakistan Bar Council Yasin Azad from Karachi, president Karachi bar Association Naeem Qureshi, senior lawyers Akram Sheikh, Abid Hassan Minto and Ahsan Wyne. Former media advisor SCBA Muhammad Azhar Siddique is also backing Baachaa. Analysts say this election would be a test of nerve for both sides, as it would set the future course of bar politics. They say voters from Lahore would play a key role in the outcome of elections as almost half of the total eligible voters of SCBA belong to the City. 1997 eligible lawyers would exercise their right of votes while 937 of them are registered in Lahore. As per rotation formula, this year presidential slot is reserved for NWFP and both presidential candidates belong to NWFP. Qazi Anwar and Barrister Baachaa have been backed by the Professional Group led by Hamid Khan and Afridi group led by Latif Afridi. Their own reputation, professional achievements and personal notes about serving the community stand high to woo the voters. Both the candidates are not novice in the bar politics. Both the candidates have launched campaigns to muster up support from 1997 voters of the SCBA mainly relying on their professionalism, personal contacts, potential to address the problems being faced by the community and acumen to line up the lawyers on government policies, particularly on democracy, independence of judiciary and supremacy of the constitution. Group support, braderi, support of the individual advocates are some other factors in addition to his potential to address community woes. As for the big names of community are concerned Barrister Baachaa has an edge over his rival. Qazi Anwar is commanding the support of Hamid Khan, Munir A Malik, Ahmed Awais, Syed Muhammad Shah and many other big names of the Bar. In view of the above, all experts foresee a close and interesting battle between the two bigwigs of the community. Qamar Zaman Qureshi, Raja Zulqarnain and Syed Jamil Ahmed are contesting for secretary seat. Three candidates are in the fray for one seat of vice president (VP) for Punjab. They are Mian Muhammad Waheed Akhtar, Dr Akmal Salimi and Muhammad Iftikhar Shah. Ainuddin Khan and KA Wahab are in the run for the VP seat from Sindh. Three candidates are also fighting for VP seat NWFP. They are Mlaik Manzoor Hussain, Roohul Amin Chamkani and Wali Khan Afridi. Amanullah Kanrani Baloch and Ahsanud Din Sheikh had already been elected unopposed as VP Balochistan and additional secretary respectively. For the seat of finance secretary Mehmood Ahmed Sheikh, Syed Rifaqat Hussain Shah and Zaheer Ahmed Qadri are in the field.