BCB election goes to polls today

Bangla Press Desk:   After a series of dramatic developments, voting for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election is set to take place today, with at least eight candidates, including outgoing president Aminul Islam Bulbul and vice-president Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, expected to be elected unopposed.

Aminul and Fahim’s paths were cleared after Dhaka Division candidate Abdullah Al Fuad Redwan withdrew on Sunday, denouncing the process as “non-transparent” and government-influenced.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Aminul, Mr. Fahim, and the Election Commission have made a garland without a thread,” Redwan said. “That garland will never go around my neck. Therefore, I’m withdrawing from these intransparent elections.”

The election process took another twist on Sunday when the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division instructed the Election Commission to reinstate the councillorships of 15 clubs. This decision also restored the candidacy of Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, the former BCB media committee chairman, in Category Two.

According to the schedule announced by Returning Officer Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Zobayed Hossain on Sunday evening, voting will be held between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm at a city hotel in Dhaka. A total of 23 directors across three categories will be elected for a four-year term, with councillors also able to cast their votes via postal or e-ballot until 2:00 pm. Those who had already voted in Category Two will have to recast their votes following Iftekhar’s inclusion.

Two additional directors will be nominated by the National Sports Council. The newly elected directors will later elect the next BCB president at 7:30 pm, shortly after official results are announced at 6:00 pm.

Unopposed candidates include Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury and Asif Akbar from Chattogram, Abdur Razzak and Julfiqar Ali Khan from Khulna, Rahat Shams from Sylhet, and Shakhawat Hossain from Barishal, all representing Category One. In total, 34 candidates will contest across the three categories.

Earlier, several candidates — mostly from Category Two, including former national captain Tamim Iqbal — withdrew, alleging government interference. Representatives of 48 clubs even threatened to boycott upcoming domestic leagues if the polls were not rescheduled.

Tamim and others accused Aminul and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of manipulating the election, but Aminul dismissed these allegations.

Aminul took over as BCB president in May after former chief Faruque Ahmed was ousted through a no-confidence motion supported by eight of nine board directors, who claimed they struggled under his leadership. Faruque is back in the race as a Category Two candidate, while former national team captain Khaled Mashud Pilot is contesting Category Three against Debabrata Paul, the former CWAB secretary and BCB match referee.