Papon bags highest votes in BCB election

Nazmul Hassan Papon emerged as victorious in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election today, held at the board's premises adjoining the Sher e Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur by claiming
highest number of votes jointly.

Papon, the incumbent BCB president acquired 53 votes, same as Gazi Golam Mortuza Pappa and senior cricket organizer Enayet Hossain Siraj from category-2 to be elected as the director of the country biggest sporting body.

While the election in the Categroy-2 was the center of all attraction, the Categroy-3 election also hogged the limelight with Nazmul Abedin Fahim, a veteran cricket coach challenging Khaled Mahmud Sujon.

The election in this Category which involved public university, former cricketers and government agencies was believed to be intense but former skipper Khaled Mahmud Sujon achieved a landslide victory. He was elected, claiming 37 votes while his opposite number Nazmul Abedin Fahim got only
three votes.

A total of 23 directors were elected today with seven being unopposed. National Sports Council (NSC) nominated two directors-Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Booby and Jalal Younus. As per the constitution, these 25 directors will elect a president now, under whose guidance they will run the BCB for the
next four years.

It is highly likely that Papon will be elected president for the third straight time.

"I would like to thank the voters to give us the opportunity to serve the Bangladesh cricket again," Papon said here today. "The election was held in peaceful environment and most of the voters turned up."

Nazmul Hassan Papon came to the BCB after being nominated by the
government in 2012 when the then BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal became the
ICC president.

As ICC made it mandatory to elect president by an election for its all member countries, the BCB changed its constitution. However Papon became the first elected BCB president in 2013 and then again became the president in 2017.

This is the first time, Nazmul Hassan Papon had to contest and he shined in impeccably.

The councillors however elected 12 directors from the Category-2 that involved Dhaka Metropolitan Clubs, including Papon, the councillor of Abahani Limited. The rest of the 11 elected directors are- Gazi Golam Mortuza Pappa, Enayet Hossain Siraj, Ismail Haider Mallick, Najib Ahmed, Obeid Rashid Nijam, Fahim Sinha , Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, Salahuddin Chowdhury, Manzur Kader, Mahbub Anam, Manzur Alam Manzu.

A total of 16 councillors contested in this category with Saiful Islam Bhuiyan, Rafiqul Islam, Abdur Rahman and Masuduzzman tasting the defeat.

The BCB also saw an election in Category-1 that included Districts and Divisions. Four contestants contested for the two director posts of Dhaka Division but Bangladesh first Test captain Naimur Rahman Durjoy and Tanvir Ahmed Titu emerged as victorious, claiming identical 17 votes. The rest of the two candidates Syed Ashfakul Islam Titu and Khalid Hossain withdrew their nomination but since they opted out of the election after the date of the withdrawal of nomination, their names were printed in the ballot paper.

Election was also in Rajshahi Division where former skipper Khaled Mashud Pilot and organizer Saiful Alam Swapon Chowdhury contested. The latter however triumphed to be elected for the third consecutive time.

Earlier seven directors, all from Categroy-1 were elected unopposed.

Elected directors:

   Category-1 (Districts and Divisions): Dhaka Division: Naimur Rahman Durjoy
(17), Tanvir Ahmed Titu (17).

   Rajshahid Division: Saiful Alam Swapon Chowdhury (7), Khaled Mashud Pilot
(2)

   Unopposed

   Chattogram Division: AJM Nasir Uddin, Akram Khan

   Sylhet: Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel

   Khulna: Sheikh Sohel, Kazi Inam Ahmed

   Barishal: Alamgir Khan Alo

   Rangpur: Advocate Anwarul Islam

   Category-2 (Dhaka Metropolitan Clubs): Nazmul Hassan Papon (53), Gazi
Golam Mortuza Pappa (53), Enayet Hossain Siraj (53), Ismail Haider Mallick
(52), Najib Ahmed (51), Obeid Rashid Nijam (51), Fahim Sinha (50), Iftekhar
Rahman Mithu (50), Salahuddin Chowdhury (49), Manzur Kader (49), Mahbub Anam
(47), Manzur Alam Manzu (46)

   Saiful Islam Bhuiyan (10), Rafiqul Islam (10), Abdur Rahman (6),
Masuduzzman (5).

   Category-3 (public university, former cricketers and government agencies):
Khaled Mahmud Sujon (37), Nazmul Abedin Fahim (3).