Voting underway in BCB election

Voting in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election began on Monday, October 6, at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, despite a boycott announced by 48 clubs. The polls started at 10am and will continue until 4pm.

Although there are 191 councillor votes in total, 48 clubs earlier declared they would abstain. Former captain Tamim Iqbal also withdrew his nomination. In the club category, 12 directors will be elected from 16 candidates, though one candidate, Faizur Rahman Bhuiya, pulled out last night.

Direct voting is taking place for 98 councillors, while 58 have already voted electronically. Two directors each from Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna, along with representatives from Barishal and Sylhet, have been elected uncontested. Elections are being held in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions, as well as in the club and category 2 sections.

The BCB had to reprint ballot papers on Sunday after a Supreme Court ruling restored the voting rights of 15 clubs previously suspended by a High Court order. This increased the number of valid candidates from 16 to 17.

As a result, e-votes cast by some councillors before the ballot change have been cancelled, and those councillors must vote again, Chief Election Commissioner Mohammad Hossain confirmed.

Meanwhile, the 48 boycotting clubs submitted a memorandum to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, demanding an extension of the current executive committee’s term, formation of an ad-hoc committee, and a new election under a fresh commission.

The clubs accused vested interests around incumbent president Aminul Islam Bulbul of manipulating councillorship disputes through undue interference by certain ministry officials, thereby creating controversy around the polls.