Hatem-led panel wins in BKMEA election

Progressive Knit Alliance, a panel led by Mohammad Hatem, won all 35 directorial posts in the biennial election of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) held on Saturday.

As the panel leader, Hatem is set to become the president of BKMEA’s new executive committee.

Only one panel fielded candidates for all 35 directorial positions, while three other individuals contested independently, said Syed Wahiduzzaman, secretary to the BKMEA election board.

None of the independent candidates—G M Haider Ali, Md Shajahan Alam, and Md Monir Hosain Sheikh—won any posts, according to the election results.

The association has 572 eligible voters across the country—272 from Narayanganj, 224 from Dhaka, and 76 from Chattogram.

Manual voting began at 9 am and ended at 5 pm, with 75.35 percent, or 431 votes, cast.

There were two voting centres—one in Dhaka and the other in Narayanganj.

There was no centre in Chattogram; instead, voters from the port city were allowed to cast their votes at either the Dhaka or Narayanganj centre.

A total of 140 out of 224 votes were cast from the Dhaka region, 234 out of 272 from Narayanganj, and 57 out of 76 from Chattogram.

As per the election schedule, the elected directors will nominate the president on May 15, and BKMEA will officially declare the office bearers on May 17, said Wahiduzzaman.

From among the elected directors, one president and seven vice presidents will be nominated for the term.

The election commission also decided to shift the Dhaka polling centre to BKMEA’s Dhaka office at Planners Tower from the originally planned Shaheed Abu Sayed International Convention Centre, citing safety concerns, Wahiduzzaman said.