Eight candidates have already secured places as Bangladesh Cricket Board directors before any votes are cast in this year’s election.
Seven of them came through Category 1, which represents regional and district sports associations. Another candidate secured a place from Category 3, which includes former captains, cricketers, universities and other organizations.
The final list of candidates was published on Monday after the deadline for withdrawals ended. Voting in Category 1 will now take place in only two divisions.
The biggest contest will be in Category 2, the club category. Sixteen candidates will compete there for 12 director positions. Tamim Iqbal Khan, who currently heads the BCB ad hoc committee, is also in the race.
The Chattogram division changed after a late withdrawal. Shariful Islam (Opu), a councillor from the Feni District Sports Association, pulled out of the election race.
That move confirmed former Bangladesh captain and former chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu as a director without contest. Lakshmipur District Sports Association councillor Moin Uddin Chowdhury also secured a place from the division.
Several other candidates also moved through without opposition.
Saeed Bin Zaman and SM Abdullah Al Fuad secured places from Dhaka division. Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury became director from Sylhet division. Mir Shakrul Alam Simanto secured a place from Rajshahi division, while Mirza Faisal Amin came through from Rangpur division.
Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir became the only candidate from Category 3. The organizer from Chattogram first became a BCB director in 2005. He also served on the board during Nazmul Hassan Papon’s first spell as president.
Khulna and Barishal remain the only divisions with voting contests in Category 1.
Mohammad Shafiqul Alam, Shantanu Islam and Mohammad Abdus Salam will compete for two positions in Khulna.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman and Mohammad Muntasir Alam Chowdhury will fight for one position in Barishal.
The club category will have the biggest race of the election.
The candidates include Fahim Sinha of Abahani Limited, Masuduzzaman of Mohammedan Sporting Club, Asif Rabbani of Shinepukur Cricket Club, Faiazur Rahman of Uttara Cricket Club and Tamim Iqbal Khan of Old DOHS Sports Club.
Mirza Yasir Abbas, Israfil Khosru, Mohammad Amjad Hossain and several others are also in the race.
The BCB election will take place on June 7. A total of 23 directors will be elected through three categories. The National Sports Council will later nominate two more directors to complete the board.
This is the second BCB election in the last eight months. The previous board, led by Aminul Islam Bulbul, was later dissolved by the National Sports Council after complaints over the election process.
The council then formed an 11 member ad hoc committee and appointed Tamim Iqbal Khan as its head. The committee was asked to arrange a new election within three months.
