Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who earlier this month announced his candidacy in the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election, launched a sharp attack on current BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul during a press conference at a city hotel on Sunday.

“A few days ago, I met with the sports adviser,” Tamim said. “I told him one thing and one thing only — I am not asking for anything personal, I just want a fair election. I have not demanded anything beyond that. But since then, what I have been witnessing at district and divisional levels, and even at clubs, is completely unacceptable. It seems that the government is intervening from various directions, and this needs to be publicly known,” he added.

He criticized irregularities in the councillor nomination process. “If I am not mistaken, the election commission was formed on 6 September. Once an election commission is in place, all matters must go through it. The deadlines for councillor nominations were first set for 17 September. Suddenly, a message appeared in the BCB directors’ group saying the deadline would be extended — first to 19 September, then to 22 September. The first extension had some agreement among three or four directors, but the second extension was done solely by the BCB president, without consulting anyone else. He unilaterally extended the time,” Tamim said.

He further alleged violations of the BCB constitution. “Typically, in districts and divisions, those involved in sports can nominate councillors through the district administration. This has been the practice for many years. But this time, an ad-hoc committee was formed and only its approval would be valid for nominations — something that is not mentioned anywhere in the constitution. Moreover, we have seen people being removed from or added to the ad-hoc committee at will. If elections are conducted this way, it is no longer an election but a selection. Elections should be open and fair for everyone,” he explained.

Tamim also accused the president of issuing instructions despite denying knowledge of the process. “Recently, Bulbul said in an interview that he has no idea how elections are conducted. Yet he himself signed letters instructing previous councillors to be removed and only nominations from the ad-hoc committee to be accepted. According to the constitution, once the election commission is formed, the president cannot sign any such letters. But in reality, he has signed and sent letters to district administrations. If he knows nothing about the elections, how can he issue such detailed directives?” he questioned.

He further expressed concern over government interference. “Letters from the NSC secretary and other authorities have repeatedly intervened in various matters. Why should the government interfere in BCB matters? Cricket belongs to 180 million people of this country, not to any small group or political faction. There should be no bias, no government interference. Elections should be conducted fairly and transparently,” he said.

Tamim concluded by urging the authorities to respect the original councillor list. “I hope that those declared as councillors on 17 September remain unchanged. There should be no new modifications. Cricket must remain for everyone — not for a specific person or group. This election should be impartial and free from interference, and I hope that happens,” he said.