Who will be president in BCB’s one-sided election
After allegations of government interference, the withdrawal of nominations by 16 candidates simultaneously, four more later quitting the race, and a series of counter-writs in court, the controversial and one-sided election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is finally taking place today.
Voting starts from 10:00am and concludes at 4:00pm in the ballroom of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel. According to the schedule, preliminary results for the board director positions will be announced at 6:00pm.
Immediately afterward, the newly elected directors will meet to choose the new BCB president and two vice presidents. The results of these votes are expected to be announced at 9:00pm.
This year’s board election has largely been orchestrated under the plan of Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan. As such, current president Aminul Islam is widely expected to be re-elected.
Allegations suggest that last-minute changes were made in the ad hoc committees of several district and divisional sports associations to appoint individuals favored by the sports adviser as BCB councillors.
There have also been accusations of intimidation directed at club councillors—a charge earlier made by Old DOHS councillor and former national captain Tamim Iqbal.
However, BCB president Aminul Islam denied all allegations yesterday. Speaking to reporters at the BCB office about his candidacy, he said, “I didn’t feel any (government) influence here. I felt that continuing my role is necessary for the sake of Bangladesh cricket. If those who are voting for or against me—or even you journalists—believe I’m not good enough, I’m willing to step aside at any time.” The sports adviser also denied these allegations in an earlier interview with Jamuna TV.
According to the constitution, 25 directors are elected by 192 councillors of the BCB’s general council from three categories. Since Narsingdi district has no representative this time, the total number of councillors stands at 191.
From Category 1 (district and divisional sports associations), 71 councillors elect 10 directors. From Category 2 (Dhaka-based clubs), 76 councillors elect 12 directors. From Category 3 (former cricketers and captains, universities, and institutions), 45 councillors elect one director.
The remaining two directors are nominated by the National Sports Council (NSC). The 25 directors then elect the president and vice presidents at the first board meeting.
Although there are 191 councillors, elections in five divisions were uncontested, so only 156 will vote today. However, it remains to be seen how many actually show up.
Several candidates have withdrawn, and some club representatives have said they will abstain from voting in protest against a lack of transparency. The High Court had previously ordered a suspension of 15 disputed club councillors from the final voter list, but yesterday, Chamber Justice Farah Mahbub of the Appellate Division stayed that order following a petition from Nakhalpara Cricketers councillor Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan.
This ruling reopened voting rights for councillors from those 15 disputed clubs. One of them, Iftekhar Rahman of Vikings Cricket Academy, will now also be able to contest for a director post. A BCB source said new ballot papers were printed last night including his name, and electronic voting has also been updated to include him.
With Redwan’s withdrawal, it has become almost certain that current president Aminul Islam and director Nazmul Abedin will be elected unopposed from the Dhaka division, though Redwan’s name will still appear on the ballot as he didn’t withdraw within the official deadline.
Among the 10 district and divisional directors, six have already been elected unopposed: Abdur Razzak and Zulfiqar Ali Khan from Khulna, Rahat Shams from Sylhet, Shakhawat Hossain from Barishal, and singer Asif Akbar and Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury from Chattogram. With Aminul and Nazmul joining them, eight of the ten Category 1 directors will have been elected without contest.
On 1 October, 16 candidates—including Old DOHS councillor and former national captain Tamim Iqbal—had withdrawn their nominations citing government interference. Later, four more candidates pulled out alleging irregularities. Among them were Lutfar Rahman (Legends of Rupganj), Major Imroz Ahmed (retd) of Kathalbagan Green Crescent, and Hasibul Alam of Rajshahi division. The latest to withdraw, yesterday, was Jamalpur District Sports Association councillor Abdullah Al Fuad Redwan. Comparing the BCB election to the ruling Awami League’s infamous “night-time voting,” Redwan told journalists outside the Mirpur BCB office, “At least they filled the ballot boxes—that’s a different thing. These people are doing it so tactfully that it puts those ‘night votes’ to shame!”
In Category 3, the lone director post will see a contest between former national captain Khaled Mashud and ex-Cricket Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) general secretary Debabrata Pal. Another candidate, Sirajuddin Md Alamgir from the University of Chittagong, has already withdrawn his nomination.
For Category 2, which includes Dhaka-based clubs, 17 names will appear on the ballot for 12 director positions. However, with Lutfar Rahman and Major Imroz withdrawing, the effective number of candidates is 15. That doesn’t make much difference though—the likely winners are already known. Just as most district and divisional directors have been elected unopposed, the club-category winners are also expected to come from the same “approved” list of favorites.
Since the announcement of the election schedule on 1 September, Bangladesh cricket has been mired in controversy. The contest has largely pitted government-backed organisers against BNP-leaning ones. Tamim-led BNP-affiliated candidates have accused the government of interfering and violating the constitution from the start. However, even they fielded candidates with little or no connection to cricket—several of whom were sons of BNP leaders. In the end, the BCB’s one-sided election is going ahead without them.