Desk Report:
Controversial election in the country’s cricket today
The most dramatic and controversial election in the history of Bangladesh cricket is going to take place today. Withdrawal of nominations of candidates for the post of BCB director one after another, announcement of boycott of the election, court-court proceedings – the discussed election is going to take place after going through a series of dramatic turns. Although there is an excitement after seeing the banners of the candidates covering the country’s ‘Home of Cricket’, the doubts about the election do not disappear at all. The election drama does not end even after it is over!
According to the schedule announced by the BCB Election Commission, voting will start from 10 am today at the five-star hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital and will continue till 4 pm. The election will be held in three categories. The results will be announced at 6 pm, and the election of the president and vice-president will be held at 7:30 pm. The entire process is expected to be completed by 9 pm.
What has happened around the BCB election in the past month will rival even the screenplay of a movie. After the last date for candidacy passed, it was seen that many heavyweight candidates withdrew their nominations at the last minute despite registering their names in the election race. Some others announced that they would not join the board if elected even though their names were on the ballot. Although there was a hint of a tight competition in the beginning, it gradually diminished. It is clear from the course of the election that Aminul Islam Bulbul is going to be the BCB president again.
Many administrative issues of the BCB have reached the court. However, the number of times the organizers have had to go to court around the election this time is a rare occurrence. Especially what happened with the councilorship of 15 clubs is also rare. The voting rights of all clubs will remain intact. The final settlement of the cases will be in the High Court Division. The Appellate Division has made it clear that there are no more obstacles in the election.
BCB elections are mainly held in three categories. Category-1 is the regional and district cricket organization. 10 directors are elected in this category. Six candidates out of the 10 directors are being elected unopposed. Zulfiqar Ali Khan and former national team selector Abdur Razzak have been elected as directors from Khulna. Two directors, artists Asif Akbar and Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury, have also been elected from Chittagong division. Rahat Shams has been elected as director from Sylhet division. Shakhawat Hossain has been elected as director in Barisal division. The contest was supposed to be between Aminul Islam Bulbul, Nazmul Abedin Fahim and SM Abdullah Al Fuad Reduan from Dhaka division. Reduan, who left when he withdrew his candidacy, has boycotted the election. Here, it can be said that Bulbul and Fahim will be elected for sure. Since Hasibul Alam has withdrawn from Rajshahi division, two are being elected there unopposed.
There are 17 candidates for 12 posts from Category-2. Lutfar Rahman has boycotted the election from here. And from Category-3, there are two candidates for one director post—former captain Khaled Masud Pilot and COAB general secretary Debabrata Pal.
This election was seen as a fight between the government and BNP. Directly or indirectly, the youth and sports advisor supported the current president Bulbul. Former national team captain Tamim Iqbal entered the field with the blessings of BNP. Despite heating up the election field with complex calculations, Tamim broke the battle and withdrew his candidacy. At the turn of the BCB election, this contest between the government and BNP turned into a one-sided fight. At the same time, a dividing line between the two parties seemed to have become clear.
Arrangements have been made for the voters to stay in a five-star hotel in Banani. However, the Election Commission has not disclosed how many people are staying there. There are rumors that many voters have already voted through e-ballot.
The country’s cricket wanted to see at least an acceptable and participatory election, moving away from the one-sided, uncontested elections that were seen in the BCB during the time of Nazmul Hasan Papon. But in reality, the opposite happened. Withdrawal of nominations, legal complications, political divisions—what else is needed to make the entire election questionable and controversial? Even if no new dramatic events occur and the election goes smoothly today, the question remains whether the currently elected board of directors will be able to complete its term as the future political context changes.
