Sylhet Chamber of Commerce election halted 5 days before polls
A source indicated that the suspension followed a petition submitted by Amiruzzaman Dulal, a former SCCI director, who recently lodged a three-page application with the ministry
The election for the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), has been suspended just five days ahead of the scheduled date.
The deferral was announced today (26 October) in a letter signed by Chowdhury Samia Yasmin, deputy secretary of the Commerce Organisation-1 branch of the Ministry of Commerce.
The letter instructs the SCCI to re-verify its membership list and subsequently conduct the election for the 2025–2027 Executive Board according to a revised schedule. While the correspondence does not explicitly cite a reason for the postponement, it specifically calls for a re-examination of the voter list.
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Farzana Akhter Mita, administrator and additional district magistrate of the SCCI, clarified: "A few members had raised complaints regarding issues with the list. In response, the Ministry decided that a new schedule would be announced once the verification is complete."
A source indicated that the suspension followed a petition submitted by Amiruzzaman Dulal, a former SCCI director, who recently lodged a three-page application with the commerce ministry. This submission reportedly prompted the ministry's decision to halt the polls.
Gulam Akter Faruk, secretary of the SCCI, confirmed the suspension but admitted uncertainty over the rationale: "We are still trying to understand the exact reason why the election was suspended."
The election had been originally scheduled for 1 November.
Preparations, including the announcement of the timetable and scrutiny of nominations, had already been completed. Forty-two candidates from two panels—the Sylhet Combined Business Council and the Sylhet Business Forum—were set to contest the polls.
