Big names missing as BCB draft voters’ list revealed

The much-anticipated draft voters' list of the upcoming board of directors' election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was revealed on Tuesday after a day's delay, without some of the top and incumbent directors' names.

Among the current board directors, Mahbubul Anam, Akram Khan, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Saiful Alam Swapon Chowdhury and Iftekhar Rahman Mithu were not part of the list that included 171 councillors. Only 14 percent of this draft were part of the previous election's final voters' list in 2021. 

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul has been nominated as the councillor from the Dhaka Divisional Sports Association, while Nazmul Abedeen Fahim was nominated from Dhaka District Sports Association. Former national captain and presidential aspirant Tamim Iqbal was elected councillor from Old DOHS Sports Club, while former BCB president Faruque Ahmed received councillorship from Rangers Cricket Academy. 

Other notable councillors include Fahim Sinha from Surjo Torun Club, Mohammad Salahuddin Chowdhury from Kakrail Boys' Club and Manzur Alam from Regular Sporting Club.

According to the original schedule, the draft voters' list was expected to be revealed on Monday, but the BCB mentioned they had to send the list to the Election Commission a day later due to some court issues.

On Monday, the Supreme Court chamber judge stayed, until September 28, a High Court order that had suspended the effectiveness of a letter from the BCB president, directing district and divisional sports associations to nominate councillors from ad-hoc committees for the upcoming board election. It was the chamber judge's ruling that saw the election process continue. 

Although the delay in announcing the draft voters' list didn't see any change in the election date, which is scheduled on October 6, it has deferred a few earlier schedules by a day. The dates include: taking objection to the draft voters' list, hearing on the objection to it, announcing the final voters' list, and the nomination distribution.

The draft voters' list included 65 of 71 councillors from category 1 (Regional Sports Associations), with councillors' nominations from Narsingdi, Sylhet, Naogaon, Bogura, Pabna, and Sirajganj missing. 

"We have not received the councillor nomination from those places [District Sports Associations]," Advocate Mohammod Hossain, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of BCB polls 2025, told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, in category 2 (Dhaka Metropolis Clubs), out of 76 clubs, 61 clubs' councillorships were accepted by the election commission and the remaining 15 clubs' councillorships were denied due to several irregularities, under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

"We haven't included them in the draft voters' list for now. They will come to us today [Tuesday] and try to convince us with evidence why they should be allowed to vote. If they can convince us tomorrow [Wednesday], then there will be a hearing after which they will be included in the final voters' list," said CEC Hossain.

BCB director Iftekhar's fate depends on the final verdict scheduled today, as he was expected to be a councillor from Vikings Cricket Academy -- one of the 15 clubs -- who couldn't make it to the draft voters' list.

Interestingly, Md Sibgat Ullah, who is working as one of the three Election Commissioners in the BCB polls, received councillorship from Bangladesh Police Cricket Club. CEC Hossain, however, dismissed any conflict of interest, stating he would not be running in the election. 

Meanwhile, category C had 45 councillors, including five former skippers, 10 former national and first-class cricketers, five National Sports Council (NSC) nominated councillors and councillors from universities, educational boards and services. Notable names from this category are: Minhajul Abedin, Khaled Mashud, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Mohammad Ashraful, Habibul Bashar, among others.