United Business Forum sweeps all 24 director posts in Ctg chamber polls

The United Business Forum, led by Seacom Group Managing Director Mohammad Amirul Haque, secured a clean sweep in the biennial election of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), winning all 24 director posts.

Election Board Chairman Monowara Begum announced the results this evening (23 May) after vote counting at the World Trade Centre in Agrabad.

Voting was held for 18 director posts, while six candidates from the town association and trade group categories had already been elected unopposed, effectively giving full control of the chamber's board to the United Business Forum.

The election marked the return of direct voting in the chamber after more than a decade. Since 2013, all chamber committees had been formed without elections.

According to election officials, out of 6,780 eligible voters, 2,725 cast their ballots, recording a turnout of around 40%.

In the general category, 1,843 votes were cast out of 4,001 voters, reflecting a turnout of nearly 46%. In the associate category, 882 voters exercised their franchise out of 2,764 eligible voters, resulting in a turnout of around 32%.

A total of 17 booths were set up for voting. General category voters cast 12 votes each, while associate category voters cast six votes each.

Under the chamber's rules, 12 directors are elected from the general category, six from the associate category and six from the town association and trade group categories combined.

Sources at the chamber said the presidium election will be held tomorrow at 11:30am, when the newly elected directors will choose the president, senior vice-president and vice-president.

In the general category, Kamal Mostafa Chowdhury received the highest 1,405 votes, followed by ASM Ismail Khan with 1,374 votes, Abu Haider Chowdhury with 1,364 votes, Md Amzad Hossain Chowdhury with 1,352 votes, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury with 1,321 votes and Asad Iftekhar with 1,306 votes.
Others elected in the category were Aman Ullah Al Saghir, Md Golam Sarwar, Mohammad Habibur Rahman, Mohammad Shafiul Alam and Mohammad Shahidul Islam Chowdhury.

In the associate category, Md Zahidul Hasan secured 687 votes, Md Nurul Islam 661 votes, Md Selim Nur 646 votes, Sarwar Alam Khan 641 votes, Mohammad Mashiul Alam 632 votes and Mohammad Alauddin Al Azad 618 votes.

In the trade group category, Mohammad Akhtar Parvez, Mohammad Amirul Haque and SM Saiful Alam were elected unopposed.

Afsar Hasan Chowdhury, Mohammad Monir Uddin and Mohammad Sajjad Un Nawaz were also elected unopposed from the town association category.

"We wanted businesspeople to elect their leadership through voting. That is what happened," said Mohammad Amirul Haque, leader of the United Business Forum and a newly elected director.

Earlier, the election process has faced repeated disruptions since September last year, with court cases leading to five separate suspensions. On 18 May, the election board announced that voting would finally take place on 23 May.

However, just two days before the scheduled election, leaders of the Somomona Parishad panel, SM Nurul Haque and Azizul Haque, filed another writ petition seeking a stay on the polls.

Following the petition, a High Court division bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Abdur Rahman on Thursday morning ordered a six-month suspension of the election and issued a rule nisi.

Later in the afternoon, the government appealed against the High Court order. The chamber judge of the Appellate Division stayed the effectiveness of the High Court order until a full court hearing scheduled for 8 June, effectively removing all legal barriers to holding the election on 23 May.

Three individuals repeatedly surfaced in the legal disputes over the election process, including garment accessories supplier Muhammad Belal Hossain, who sought to contest from the trade group category, former chamber senior vice-president SM Nurul Haque, and panel member Azizul Haque.