LAHORE - The candidates for the general election of Punjab Bar Council have begun to show their presence in a big way in the city bars and the lawyers chambers although the day of contest is still about two moths away. Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) enrolls over 60,000 advocates throughout the province and maximum number of them, 16000, is in Lahore. The general election of the Council are held after five years as such they attract almost the same amount of enthusiasm and activity from the lawyers, which is peculiar to the contestants in national elections. Elections are scheduled to the take place on November 21, next under the supervision of respective Advocate Generals, simultaneously in all provinces of the country and the input received here so far reveals a great excitement in the candidates in all provinces. This time round, the added interest of the candidates in the elections in Punjab outlines a strong and interesting contest in the long run for getting representation in the 75-member General House of the Council. Side by side it also highlights the significance of this forum which it has attained over the last few years for its area of action ranging from granting practice licence to the law graduates and watching affairs of the lawyers and bars to making recommendations to the government in law making. The current suggestions vis-a-vis involving the Bar Councils in selecting persons for making them judge of the High Courts, as envisaged in the upcoming constitutional amendment and Charter of Democracy, has put a new weight in the PbBC. And this factor is also well in the mind of the candidates. Election campaign by the aspirants throughout Punjab has been kicked off and the city is taking lead in this regard from other districts. Lahore has 16 seats, the maximum number against any other, in the PbBC House and so far more than 80 contestants have come to the arena while this number is sure to surge by the time date of filing of the nomination papers, ie, October 1 next, approaches in. The campaign started in slow rhythm a month ago, has now picked up momentum. In city bars, candidates flocked with their supporters can be seen dotted place to place distributing cards, stickers, badges and pamphlets. Besides that the candidates are hosting iftar dinners at the star hotels to woo the voters. Though election date is away but the spirit being shown by the candidates is adumbrative of a tough and interesting contest. After Punjab it is district Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi which have four seats each; Gurjanwala and Bahawalpur three seats each; Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura, Muzaffargarh, Vehari, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Jhang, Sargodha, Gujrat and Sialkot have two seats each while Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Lodhran, Pakpattan, Islamabad, Chakwal, Joharabad, Bukkar, Mianwali, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal and Jehlum have one seat each.