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Tamim Iqbal Raises Alarm Over Political Interference Ahead Of BCB Elections

Rajgeeta Yadav

Tamim Iqbal accuses board president [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]Tamim Iqbal accuses board president [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections are now scheduled to take place on October 6, the election commission announced. In these elections, the BCB’s general councilors will choose 23 out of 25 directors, and from this group, a president will be selected for a four-year term.

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has raised concerns over what he calls political interference in the election process. On September 21, a group of sports organizers, cricketers, and club representatives held a press conference alleging that the government is trying to influence the outcome of the BCB elections. 

Tamim, who is expected to contest, said that the board’s constitution has been ignored in recent decisions by the board president, Aminul Islam Bulbul.

The issue began when Bulbul sent a letter to the Ministry of Youth and Sports on September 18, stating that some district and divisional sports associations had not followed rules requiring councillors to be nominated through committees set up by the National Sports Council (NSC). The letter also mentioned that nomination forms had been resent to the associations.

Speaking to reporters, Tamim emphasized that he is asking for nothing but a fair election. 

 "A few days ago, I met with the sports adviser and I told him one thing and one thing only - I am not asking for anything personal, I just want a fair election. I have not demanded anything beyond that. But since then, what I have been witnessing at district and divisional levels, and even at clubs, is completely unacceptable. It seems that the government is intervening from various directions, and this needs to be publicly known," Iqbal said.

The BCB election commission, led by senior lawyer Mohammad Hossain, has released the election schedule. Activities will begin on September 22 with the publication of the draft voter list, and the final voter list will come out on September 25. Candidates can submit nomination forms on September 29 and 30, and the final list of candidates will be announced on October 1.

The elections will have three categories. Ten directors will be elected from divisions and districts across the country, twelve from Dhaka club representatives, and one from former cricketers, national captains, security forces, and NSC nominees. In addition, the government will select two directors to join the board.