BCB elections: Fight between govt VS BNP or Amimul VS Tamim

Both are former Bangladesh captains. Their contributions to the national team were once immense. But today, that legacy seems overshadowed by politics. One is Aminul Islam and the other is Tamim Iqbal.

There was once a hope that cricketers in cricket administration would cleanse the game of political mudslinging.

Yet, ahead of the elections to the board of directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), scheduled for 6 October, the rivalry surrounding these two has only exposed the grip of politics. The dispute has already reached the courts.

After the removal of Faruque Ahmed, Aminul Islam was appointed BCB president by the National Sports Council (NSC) on 30 May.

At first, he said he had no intention of staying on for long and would bow out after elections. Now, however, as a Dhaka Divisional Sports Association councillor, he is running as a director candidate—and if elected, he will contest the presidency through the directors’ vote.

Insiders confirm that the influence of sports adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain was decisive in Aminul’s change of stance.

Aminul himself admitted in an interview with Prothom Alo on 12 September that the NSC had asked him to remain in office to “complete unfinished work”.

On the other side stands Tamim Iqbal. Since his retirement on 10 January this year, speculation swirled that he would contest the BCB elections.

That speculation is now reality—he has entered as a councillor from Old DHS and, like Aminul, is expected to vie for the presidency if elected as director.

Aminul is already widely seen as the 'government-backed' candidate, while Tamim, according to BNP insiders, enjoys the party’s full blessing.

Former BCB president and ex-BNP MP Ali Asgar Lobi openly said Tamim was the BNP’s nominee. Though the remark initially embarrassed Tamim, sources say Lobi made the comment only after receiving the green signal from the BNP high command in London. Since then, they have been actively involved in the election campaign for Tamim.

At a press conference held at a hotel in the capital on September 21, organizers from districts, divisions, and clubs alleged irregularities in the nomination of councilors. Those surrounding Tamim at the event were also widely known as being affiliated with the BNP. Notably among them were Ishraque Hossain, son of the late former Dhaka mayor and BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka, and Israfil Mahmud Chowdhury, son of BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. Ishraque is serving as the councilor for Brothers Union in the BCB elections.

Criticizing the government's support for Aminul Islam, BNP’s Sports Secretary and former national football team captain Aminul Haque told Prothom Alo yesterday: “The authoritarian attitude of the Sports Adviser regarding the BCB election is completely unacceptable. It is tarnishing the spirit of the game itself.”

However, when asked about the BNP's support for Tamim Iqbal, he declined to comment. He said, “It’s not about Tamim — we want competent leadership in cricket.”

Although Tamim’s alleged affiliation with the BNP has recently become a topic of discussion in the sports arena, his close ties with Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain right after the formation of the interim government had also drawn attention.

On the day the Sports Adviser first visited the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur after taking office, it was not any BCB official but Tamim who gave him a full tour of the stadium. Even after that, Tamim and the Sports Adviser remained in regular contact — a relationship that reportedly soured after Tamim attended the BNP's youth rally held on 10 May at the Polo Ground in his hometown of Chattogram.

For the first time in a BCB election, two candidates are contesting head-to-head for the presidency — and both can easily be considered legends of Bangladeshi cricket. This should have been an exciting and inspiring moment for the country's cricket, with the prospect of either of these two respected figures taking the helm. Instead, their rivalry has turned the election into a source of controversy.

The deadline for submitting the names of councillors for the BCB election was 17 September. Yet, on 18 September, a letter signed by BCB president Aminul Islam was sent to the Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as to deputy commissioners and divisional commissioners heading district and divisional sports associations.

The letter stated that, although councillors were required to be nominated from among members of the ad hoc committees of the respective district and divisional sports associations, this rule had not been properly followed. The earlier forms were therefore declared void, and new ones issued by the BCB were to be duly filled in and returned with councillor names by 6:00 pm on 22 September.

Supporters of Tamim, however, argued that the BCB constitution contained no such requirement—that councillors had to be drawn exclusively from the ad hoc committee members.

According to them, deputy commissioners and divisional commissioners retained the discretion to nominate anyone associated with cricket as councillors.

At a press conference last Sunday, Tamim denounced Aminul’s letter as 'filthy' and unconstitutional, while Aminul insisted that nothing was being done outside the rules.

Challenging Aminul’s letter, a writ petition was filed in the High Court the following day. The court initially suspended the effect of the letter for 15 days. However, this order was later stayed by the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division. The hearing has been adjourned and deferred until 28 September.

The root of the latest controversy lies in councillor nominations. The BCB constitution’s Article 9.1 (a) and 9.1 (b) stipulates that district and divisional sports associations—if properly constituted and active in cricket competitions—each send one representative to the general body.

However, the condition is that the organisation concerned must be formed in accordance with BCB-approved regulations and must regularly participate in official cricket competitions. Priority should be given to former cricketers and cricket organisers when selecting councilors.

After the interim government took office, all district and divisional sports associations across the country were dissolved, and ad hoc committees were formed in each district and division.

According to the current constitution, BCB elections are held in three main categories: From the districts and divisions, 10 directors are elected by councilors from their respective regions. Two directors are elected from each of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Khulna divisions, while one director is elected from each of Barishal, Sylhet, Rajshahi, and Rangpur. This category includes a total of 71 councilors. In the club category, 12 directors are elected by 76 councilors representing various cricket clubs. In the third category, made up of 5 former captains, 10 former cricketers, and representatives from universities and other institutions, 1 director is elected by 45 councilors. Once the Board of Directors is elected, the election for the BCB president is held, with 25 directors, including two nominated by the National Sports Council (NSC), casting their votes.

The current board president, Aminul Islam, and his supporters argue that since ad hoc committees are currently operating in place of the official sports associations, councilors must be selected from among the members of those ad hoc committees.

However, Tamim’s camp refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the ad hoc committees. According to them, the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Divisional Commissioners, as heads of the district and divisional sports associations, have the authority to nominate anyone involved in cricket as a councilor.

Sources from various district and divisional sports associations have revealed that both sides are interpreting the constitution in their own way and have been exerting pressure in different areas to appoint their preferred individuals as councilors. The initial lists of nominated councilors included many individuals with no involvement in sports whatsoever — they were, in fact, prominent local leaders affiliated with a particular political party.

Amid ongoing controversy, the election commission released the draft voter list for the BCB election yesterday evening—one day later than scheduled. In doing so, some adjustments were also made to the election schedule. However, the election date remains unchanged, set for 6 October, as previously announced.

Due to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) recommendation for an investigation into Third Division qualifying cricket, 15 clubs were excluded from Category-2 in the draft list. Additionally, the Category-1 list does not include any names from the districts of Sylhet, Narsingdi, Naogaon, Bogura, Pabna, and Sirajganj.

In Category-2, former BCB president Faruque Ahmed has been nominated as a councilor from Rangers Cricket Academy. However, there have been allegations — coming from within the clubs themselves — that some individuals who are not genuine sports organisers have been selected as club representatives in this category.

Among such councilors, notable names include Mirza Yasir Abbas of Azad Sporting Club, who is the son of BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas. Omar Sharif Md. Imran, son of BNP Vice Chairman Barkatullah Bulu, has been made a councilor from Bangladesh Boys Club. BNP leader Saiful Alam Nirob has been appointed as the councilor for Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity.

Political influence in sports federation elections is nothing new — and the current interim government appears to be no exception. In the past, individuals nominated by or affiliated with the ruling party have occupied key positions, and the same trend is evident in the current BCB election.

What’s new this time is the added influence of the BNP. All things considered, this year’s BCB election seems to have turned into a proxy battle between the government and the BNP, with Aminul VS Tamim merely the surface-level contest.