Staff Reporter: Giash-Tareq’s entire council has won the biennial election of the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association in New York, USA. Local time on Sunday (January 9) at the Bangladesh Plaza Auditorium in Jackson Heights, the election of this organization of Bangladeshi businessmen known as ‘Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association (JBBA)’ was held.
389 Bangladeshi businessmen and their representatives exercised their voting right in this election. Giash-Tarek and Tuku-Munir are contesting for 15 seats in the JBBA’s executive council. The Election Commission announced the results at 10 pm.
Giash Ahmed President, Mollah M A Masood and Md. Hamas Jilani vice-president, Tareq Hasan Khan General Secretary, Mofizur Rahman Joint Secretary, SM Abul Hasan Treasurer, Atiqul Islam Zakir Organizing Secretary, Zafar Ullah Milon Cultural and Entertainment Secretary, Belal Ahmed Publicity and Publication Secretary, Md. Z. Rahman Akash office secretary and executive members are Dr. Barnali Hasan, Rocky Alien, Abdur Alim, Khaled Akhtar and Md. Hira.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner in charge of the Election Commission. A Baro Bhuiyan, Election Commissioner Zafar Mita, Belayet Hossain Belal and Abu Helen Hossain.
Voting took place last Sunday at the Bangladesh Plaza Conference Room in Jackson Heights from 11am to 8pm. Voting is by secret ballot machine. There were 454 voters in the election. Of these 389 voters exercised their voting right. Thirty candidates from the Giash-Tarek and Tuku-Munir panels directly contested the 15 seats in the executive council. From the ‘Gias-Tareq’ panel, Giash Ahmed, a well-known face of the community, a prominent businessman and politician, contested for the post of president and Tareq Hasan Khan, the former general secretary of JBBA, for the post of general secretary. On the other hand, Mahabubur Rahman Tuku, General Secretary of JBBA, and Munir Hasan, a prominent businessman, contested for the post of President and General Secretary respectively from the Tuku-Munir panel. A total of $30,400 dollars has been earned from the nomination papers of 30 candidates for 15 posts in the election.
The Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association in New York is divided into two groups. Another group convener Mohammad Pear and member secretary Harun Bhuiyan. Earlier, the Queens Supreme Court rejected an application by the JBBA to postpone the election. Former JBBA president Haji Pear Ahmed, founding members Mohsin Nani, Kazi Montu and Harun Bhuiyan, among others, took refuge in the court alleging irregularities in the compilation of voter lists. According to the order issued by the court on Friday, January 9, the election will be held on time. However, the court also said that if there is any irregularity in the election along with the voter list, it will be checked later. As a result, there were no more obstacles to the election on Sunday.
Elections were held on Sunday (January 9) after all attempts to unite the two parties failed. As a result of this election, many people are thinking that Jackson Heights in New York will be more divided than divided among Bangladeshi businessmen.
However, the newly elected president Giash Ahmed and general secretary Tareq Hasan Khan in his post-election response, said he would work together for the benefit of Bangladeshi businessmen.They are said that Giash-Tareq will work to implement the promises made by the council.
BP/SM
