The divisional and district sports organisers on Friday alleged that government influence was used in selecting the councillors for the forthcoming election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board while the process followed was also flawed. The National Sports Council said on Thursday the BCB election will be held on October 10 to put an end to the long speculation over the much-talked election to the richest sports federation.
The announcement of election schedules came within hours after the BCB said it had prepared a draft list of councillors and approved it in its ad hoc committee meeting.
The DSA officials alleged that in 14 districts there were instances of either violation of the constitution or suppression by the high-ups of the government when giving councillorship to the desired person of a certain section.
‘There were accusations of manipulation by a certain section to get their desired councillors selected,’ said Ashiqur Rahman, general secretary of the Forum.
‘This has eclipsed all the previous records of corruption in the BCB elections that had taken place earlier,’ said Ashiqur.
At a hurriedly called press conference the DSA officials pointed out that in Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions there was problem.
It also happened in the district sports associations of Narail, Jamalpur, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Sunamganj, Cox Bazar, Syhet and Meherpur.
In most cases the persons nominated as councillors for the BCB election could not receive a vote of confidence from their respective organisations’ executive body members, violating the constitution as well as exposing the external pressure used so nakedly.
They also criticised the BCB and the NSC for trying to complete everything in a hurry that raises the possibility of ignoring the norms needed to be followed to hold a fair election.
‘In the constitution it is clearly mentioned that a notice is needed to be served 45 days earlier for sending the names councillors whereas the BCB had given only eight days that in itself is an evidence of someone playing from behind,’ said Ashiqur.
In the manner the letters were distributed was also questionable as in some places it was sent by an ambulance while elsewhere it went through courier while in many places the letter was carried by their own people,’ added Ashiqur.
It has been alleged that some BCB ad hoc committee members had happily discharged the job of a messenger and personally distributed the forms to the people of their choice.
AZM Nasir, a Chittagong-based organiser and a member of the BCB’s ad hoc committee, earlier this week admitted that he had received 10 forms meant for different districts of his division.
Four forms of Barisal district were given to Alamgir Khan while Sheikh Sohel received the letter for the Khulna division.
The councilliorship letters of Rangpur and Rajshahi DSAs were distributed by Anwarul and Imtiaz Ahmed Kislu respectively. According to the tight election schedule, announced by chief election commissioner Abdur Rahman, the draft voter list will be published today
and a hearing on any objection will be held on September 29 before publishing the final voter list the next day.
The nomination papers for 23 posts of directors in three categories will be distributed on October 1 and the last date for submission of nomination is October 3. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on October 5 and a hearing on any objection will be conducted the next day.
The final list of candidates will be published on October 7 and they will get just 72 hours for campaigning before the October 10 election.
-With New Age input
