A last-minute collection of nomination paper by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Najib Ahmed has thrown the board’s vice-president election wide open as the deadline for the purchase and submission of nomination paper ended yesterday.
Two names – former BCB vice-president Mahbubul Anam and director AZM Nasiruddin – were being widely heard of leading the race for the two ceremonial posts. According to BCB insiders, both Mahbubul and Nasiruddin are the favourite candidates of board president Nazmul Hasan and the majority of the board directors. The duo had submitted their papers for the election and it was very much likely to get selected unopposed.
However, Najib’s submission of nomination paper on the very last day has added a new twist to the race and it was learned from BCB sources that Najib will participate in the poll with an aim of competing with Mahbubul.
Mahbubul is one of the longest serving directors of the BCB and has been the vice-president of the board since 2009. Najib on the other hand became director of the board for the first time through the BCB election held last year. Najib is the counselor of Sheikh Jamal.
The list of candidates will be published tomorrow after the submitted nomination papers are scrutinised. Thereafter, candidates will be given the opportunity to withdraw their nomination papers the following day – September 14.
The final list of the candidates will be published by the BCB on September 15, just a day before the polls.
In December 2013, five candidates emerged for the two BCB vice-president posts for an election supposed to take place on December 4.
Former senior vice-presidents Mahbubul and Ahmed Sazzadul Alam expressed their interest, along with Enayet Hossain Siraj, Ahmed Iqbal Hasan and Nasiruddin. The board, however, failed to reach consensus over the two largely ceremonial posts and consequently opted to hold an election.
However, the number of interested candidates for the delayed election was reduced to two after current board directors Sazzadul and Siraj opted out of the race. Sazzadul pulled out his name informing BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury ahead of the declaration of the date for the election. The withdrawals of Sazzadul and Siraj had left Mahbubul and Nasiruddin the only candidates for the two available slots until Najib joined in the competition.