BGMEA elections held

The biennial elections to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) ended at 5:00pm on Saturday with about 89 per cent votes cast to elect the board of directors for the 2025-27 term.

Among total 1,835 votes, some 88.21 per cent or 1,377 votes have been cast in Dhaka while 82.82 or 254 voters cast votes in Chattogram.

The elections to the apparel apex body started at 8:00am at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka and Radisson Blu Hotel in 

Chattogram simultaneously.

Vote counting was going on at both the centres till the filing of this report at 8:15pm. There was some chaos at Dhaka centre over the presence of candidates inside the centre where votes were counting as candidates alleged that they were not allowed going inside the votes counting room.

Shovon Islam, managing director of Sparrow Group, also a candidate from Sammilita Parishad, told reporters that in the history of the BGMEA, all candidates of all panels were allowed to witness the counting which this time prohibited.

Later, all candidates were allowed to witness the counting.

A total of 76 candidates from three panels - the Sammilita Parishad, the Forum and the Oikko Parishad - contested the elections for 35 posts of the board of directors at the BGMEA.

Both the Sammilita Parishad and Forum panels have announced their full slates, each comprising of 35 candidates while Oikko Parishad is contesting with six candidates.

Chaity Group managing director and chief executive officer Md Abul Kalam is leading Sammilita Parishad while Rising Group managing director Mahmud Hasan Khan is the panel leader of the Forum.

Romo Group chairman Mohammad Mohsin is the panel leader of Oikko Parishad.

Munni_fe@yahoo.com