Eight directors go unopposed into Bangladesh Cricket Board, 16 fight for 12 club seats

Eight candidates have been confirmed as BCB directors without facing a vote, with the main electoral battle set to play out in the club category where 16 candidates are contesting 12 posts.

The final candidate list was published on Monday afternoon after the withdrawal deadline passed.

Seven of the eight uncontested directors come from Category 1, representing regional and district sports associations, while one comes from Category 3, covering former captains, cricketers and representatives from universities and organisations.

The development marks a slight shift from the previous BCB election in October, where nine directors locked in their board seats before a single ballot was cast, while 15 candidates fought for 12 club representative spots.

This time around, the real battleground is Category 2, or the club category, where 16 candidates are squaring off for 12 director posts.

BCB ad-hoc committee chief Tamim Iqbal Khan is among those running in this competitive club category.

The path cleared for uncontested wins after Feni District Sports Association Councillor Shariful Islam (Apu) pulled out of the Chattogram Division race on the final day of withdrawal.

His exit allowed former national captain and ex-chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu, a councillor from Chattogram District Sports Association, and Moin Uddin Chowdhury from Lakshmipur District Sports Association to cruise through unopposed from the division under Category 1.

Other Category 1 candidates who won without a fight include Sayed Bin Zaman of Dhaka Divisional Sports Association and SM Abdullah Al Fuad of Jamalpur District Sports Association from Dhaka Division; Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury of Sylhet Divisional Sports Association from Sylhet Division; Mir Shakrul Alam Shimanto of Bogura District Sports Association from Rajshahi Division; and Mirza Faisal Amin of Thakurgaon District Sports Association from Rangpur Division.

In Category 3, Chittagong University Councillor Siraj Uddin Md Alamgir is the sole candidate, making him a director without a contest.

He first became a BCB director in 2005 and also served during Nazmul Hasan Papon’s first term as president.

The BCB elections allocate 10 director posts to Category 1, 12 to Category 2 and one to Category 3, with two further directors nominated directly by the National Sports Council.

In Category 1, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions each have two posts, while Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal and Rangpur each have one.

With seven directors already confirmed unopposed, voting in Category 1 will take place in only two divisions.