Desk Report:
There are only three days left for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections. In the meantime, the BCB building is getting busier around the election. Now, the discussion is about who will defeat whom, which panel is ahead – but one thing is on everyone’s lips, the withdrawal of the candidacy of former captain Tamim Iqbal and the 16 club organizers with him.
On Wednesday, Tamim and the organizers withdrew their nomination papers together, accusing the government of exerting influence. As a result, the heat of the election war has subsided somewhat, but the election activities have not stopped. Even though Friday is a holiday, normal work is going on at the BCB building.
Some candidates from the club category came to the building today mainly for election preparations and exchanging greetings. Among them were Shanian Tanim Navin of Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club, Mohammad Lutfar Rahman (Badal) of Legends of Rupganj, Adnan Rahman (Dipan) of Rupganj Tigers, Fayazur Rahman of Uttara, Abush Bashar of Prime Dhaleswar, AKM Ahsanur Rahman Mallick Rony of Young Pegasus, Rakib Uddin of Ace Warriors and Mokhchedul Kamal of Golden Eagles Sporting Club.
The returning officers did not give any briefs today as they were busy. However, some candidates faced the media. Among them, Shanian Tanim Navin, the director candidate of the club category, told the media, “There are only three days left for the election. From the beginning, we decided to be in the election. Tamim was also there, but now he is not. If they had been there, the election would have been more participatory. Why not, it is their personal decision. Tamim should have been on the board. I have tried to explain many times. But ultimately, the decision is his.’
On the other hand, Legends of Rupganj organizer Mohammad Lutfar Rahman Badal said that despite being out of the country for a long time due to political reasons, he was always associated with cricket. He became a candidate because he got the opportunity this time. In his words, ‘I enjoy the freedom of elections. It would have been better if Tamim and Fahim were there, participation would have increased. But I have not seen any pressure. The term of the board of directors is ending, so the elections will be held. There is a time for everything, it has to be done within that time. I believe that the elections will be held as elections.’
There was a regret in the voices of the club organizers – the atmosphere of the elections has faded a bit due to Tamim’s absence. Although some were saying that the competition has become easier due to the withdrawal of one side, the prestige of the elections would have increased further with Tamim’s presence.
