Forum panel wins BGMEA election

The Forum panel has won the biennial election of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), according to the final results announced by the election commission.

The contest was held for 35 director posts, of which 26 were in the Dhaka region and 9 in Chattogram.

The Forum panel, led by Mahmud Hasan Khan, won 31 of the director posts in the election, while the Sammilito Parishad panel secured four.

The election was held simultaneously in polling centres in both the capital and the port city on May 31. Of the 31 posts won by the Forum panel, 25 were in Dhaka and six in Chattogram.

Of the four director posts won by the Sammilito Parishad panel, one was in Dhaka and three in Chattogram, said Md Anwar Hossain, administrator of the BGMEA.

Now, the elected directors will nominate the president, vice-presidents, and other office bearers for the 2025–27 tenure.

Earlier, the casting of votes began at 8:00am and continued until 5:00pm without any break.

In Dhaka, the polls took place at the Radisson hotel, where 1,528 out of 1,631 votes were cast, and 103 votes were declared invalid.

At the Chattogram centre, 248 out of 303 votes were cast, and six votes were found to be invalid.

The BGMEA election was held in March last year, but its president, SM Mannan Kochi, resigned in October following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in August.

In October, the government appointed Md Anwar Hossain as the BGMEA administrator to oversee the election.