The BCB is abuzz with preparations for the upcoming vote.

The BCB is abuzz with preparations for the upcoming vote.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is ringing the bell for voting. Election activities have begun. The BCB elections will be held next October. Three groups have become active in the election campaign before the elections.

Like the national elections, the sports arena in Bangladesh is also divided into two. On one side are the BNP-supported organizers, and on the other side are the Awami League supporters. During the fascist regime for the past 15 years, Awami League supporters have unilaterally controlled the sports arena. After Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 last year, the situation in the sports arena has also changed.

There has been an increase in the number of new faces in various sports organizations and federations. Since independence, ad hoc committees have been formed in sports federations. The first elections started in the sports arena in 1998. The first elections of this kind were also held in the BCB. However, until 2012, the presidents were nominated by the government. In the next year's elections, Nazmul Hasan became the first elected president of the BCB. He has ruled for an era since then.

After the change of scenery on August 5, there have been major changes in the country's sports arena. This has also affected the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Nazmul Hasan has been replaced as president by Faruk Ahmed. Many of the previous board directors have left the country. Many have been dropped due to their absence in three board meetings.

Nazmul Abedin Fahim has been added to the board along with Faruk Ahmed. In total, the BCB board of directors is running with a total of 10 people. The BCB elections are scheduled to be held in October. The current president, Faruk Ahmed, has already announced his participation in the BCB elections.

In addition, the name of Engineer Ishraq Hossain, son of the late Sadeq Hossain Khoka, a famous sports organizer and politician, is also floating in the air. Cricketer Tamim Iqbal is also running. However, there may be a surprise for the BCB president post.

Notable among those who are said to have entered the fray for the post of director are - renowned sports organizer and Jamuna Group Managing Director Shamim Islam, Amber Group Chairman and former Director Shawkat Aziz Russell, City Bank Chairman and former Director Aziz Al Kaiser Tito, Mahbub Ul Anam, Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, MA Awal Chowdhury Bhulu, Ali Ahsan Babu, GS Hasan Tamim, Rafiqul Islam Babu, Masuduzzaman, Lutfur Rahman Badal, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, Md. Rakibul Islam, Rizwan Bin Faruk, Fahim Sinha, Manjurul Alam Manju, Ishtiaq Sadek and Ziaul Hasan Topu.

Twelve people will be elected as directors from 76 clubs in Dhaka. Basically, anyone can be elected as a director if they get 39 votes. Now this game of 39 votes is going on. The organizers have also formed an alliance in the fight for votes. On one side is the unity alliance led by current president Faruk Ahmed.

On the other side is the combined alliance led by Mahbub Anam. Apart from them, Lutfur Rahman Badal is trying to form a third alliance. It will not be surprising if the two alliances of Faruk and Mahbub Anam finally reach a compromise. Friends from both sides are trying to do that. If that happens, all the calculations will change.

In the 2001 BCB elections, 27 candidates contested in the Dhaka club quota. Among them, Mahmudul Haque Manu, Gazi Golam Dastagir (Birpratik), Syed Ashraful Haque, Aziz Al Kaiser Titu, Jalal Yunus, Afzalur Rahman Sinha, Enayet Kabir Chanchal, ASM Ali Khabir Chan, Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, Enayet Hossain Siraj, ANM Alam Chowdhury, Mahabubul Anam, GS Hasan Chowdhury Tamim, Tanjib Ahsa Saad, Architect Mobasher Hossain and Tanvir Mazharul Islam Tanna were elected.

From the district and divisional quota, Alhaj SM Mortaza Rashidi Dara, Selim Abedin Chowdhury, Rezaul Haque Harun, Mahmud Jamal, Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, Sheikh Nizam Uddin, Ehteshamul Alam, Dr. Mahfuzar Rahman Majnu, Md. Abdul Gafur, Iftekhar Hossain Shamim, Soylab Hossain Tutul and Principal Mamunur Rashid were elected. Professor Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed was nominated as the director in the quota of universities and educational institutions.

In 2003, an ad hoc committee of BCB was formed with Ali Azgar Lobi as the president and Mahbub ul Anam as the general secretary. The old system was brought back by eliminating the director format. Two years later, Mahbub ul Anam was elected as the general secretary in the BCB election. Ali Azgar Lobi remained as the president. Aziz Al Kaiser Tito, Alhaj Shah Norul Kabir Shahin, Gazi Golam Dastagir and Professor Golam Rasul Molla were elected as the vice-presidents. Khandaker Jamil Uddin and Shafiqur Rahman Munna lost the election.

Rafiqul Islam Babu and Riaz Uddin Al Mamun were elected as the two joint secretaries. The members are—Saylab Hossain Tutul, Abdullah Al Fuad Redoan, ASM Faruk, Asaduzzaman Khasru, Ahmed Iqbal Hasan, Mizanur Rahman, Mirza Salman Ispahani, Advocate Shahin Aftabur Reza Chowdhury, Syed Zahid Hossain, Syed Farhad Ahmed, Sirajuddin Md. Alamgir, Shamim Kabir, Lutfar Rahman Badal, Shahiduzzaman Shahid, Mahmud Jamal, Kazi Mohiuddin Bulbul, Kabir Ahmed, MR Siddique Lemon, Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury and Kabir Ahmed Bhuiyan.

The Bangladesh District and Divisional Sports Organizing Council expelled their office secretary Shamsul Arefin due to financial irregularities in that election.

On July 29, 2007, the National Sports Council formed an ad hoc committee after the BCB's elected committee resigned. The 11-member committee, headed by Major General Sinha Ibn Jamali, included Syed Fahim Munayem, Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, Shafiqur Rahman Munna, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Md. Abdul Momen, Monowara Anis Khan, Salman Ispahani, Firoz Ahmed, Lt. Col. Md. Abdul Latif Khan (retd.) and Md. Selim Bhuiyan.

In 2008, the director format returned to the BCB. The directors elected in the district and division categories in that election were Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, Md. Soylab Hossain Tutul, Sirajuddin Md. Alamgir, Moin Uddin Chowdhury, Mahmud Jamal, Imtiaz Ahmed Shamsul Huda, Syed Zahed Hossain, Shahidul Islam, Asaduzzaman Khosru and Md. Imran Chowdhury.

The directors of the Dhaka club quota were Mahbubul Anam, Aziz Al Kaiser Tito, Mirza Salman Ispahani, Ahmed Iqbal Hasan, Md. Jamal Yunus, Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, Enayet Hossain Siraj, Aminul Haque Moni, Shafiqur Rahman Munna, Mizanur Rahman, Gazi Golam Dastagir (Birpratik), GS Hasan Chowdhury Tamim. Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu was elected as Director Category-3. Firoz Ahmed was also appointed as a Director under the National Sports Council quota.

The National Sports Council dissolved the BCB Board of Directors after its term expired and formed a 13-member ad hoc committee on 27 November 2012. The other members of the committee, with Nazmul Hasan as the chairman, are Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, Mahbub Anam, Kaiser Sinha, Enayet Hossain Siraj, Jalal Yunus, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, Dr. IH Mallick, Khaled Mahmud Sujan, AJM Nasir Uddin, Naimur Rahman Durjoy and Gazi Golam Murtaza.

In 2013, the directors in Category-1 were Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Manjur Quader, AJM Nasir Uddin, Akram Khan, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Sheikh Sohel, Rafius Shams Paddy, Saiful Alam Swapan, Advocate Anwarul Islam, MA Awal Chowdhury Bhulu and Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel. The 12 directors elected unopposed from Category-2 (Club) are Enayet Hossain Siraj, Afzalur Rahman Sinha, Ahmed Iqbal Hasan, Mahbub Ul Anam, Jalal Yunus, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, Gazi Golam Mortuza, Md. Hanif Bhuiyan, Tanzil Chowdhury, Nazmul Karim Tinku, Najib Ahmed and Shawkat Aziz Russell.

Khaled Mahmud Sujan was elected from Category-3 (Service) after defeating Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu. Nazmul Hasan Papon and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby were nominated as directors in the National Sports Council quota.

In 2017, the directors in Category-1 were Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Tanvir Ahmed Titu, Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, AJM Nasir Uddin, Akram Khan, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Sheikh Sohel, Saiful Alam Swapan Chowdhury, Advocate Anwarul Islam, Alamgir Khan Alo. The 12 directors elected unopposed from Category-2 (Club) are Gazi Golam Mortuza, Tanzil Chowdhury, Shawkat Aziz Russell, Enayet Hossain Siraj, Mahbub ul Anam, Manjur Quader, Afzalur Rahman Sinha, Jalal Yunus, Nazib Ahmed, Ismail Haider Mallick, Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, Hanif Bhuiyan. Khaled Mahmud Sujan was elected from Category-3 (Service) after defeating Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu.

The two directors nominated by the National Sports Council were Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby and Nazmul Hasan Papon. In 2021, Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Tanvir Ahmed Tito, Kazi Inam, Sheikh Sohel, Akram Khan, AJM Nasir, Advocate Anwarul Islam, Saiful Alam Swapan, Alamgir Khan Alo and Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel were elected as directors in the district and division categories.

The directors of the club category are Nazmul Hasan Papon, Mahbub Anam, Enayet Hossain Siraj, Manjur Quader, Manjurul Alam, Ismail Haider Mallick, Gazi Golam Mortuza, Nazib Ahmed, Obed Rashid Nizam, Salahuddin Chowdhury, Iftekhar Rahman Mithu and Fahim Sinha. The directors nominated by the National Sports Council were Jalal Yunus and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby. Khaled Mahmud Sujan was elected as the director of the former cricketer, university and organization category.

BCB Presidents

Professor Md. Yusuf Ali

SS Huda

Commodore Mujibur Rahman

KZ Islam

Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud

Kazi Bahauddin

Lt. Col. (Retd.) Mustafizur Rahman

Saber Hossain Chowdhury

M Akmal Hossain

Ali Asghar Lobi

M Abdul Aziz

Lt. J. (Retd.) Sina Ibne Jamali

A H M Mustafa Kamal

Nazmul Hasan

Farooq Ahmed