BKMEA polls going on

Star Business Report

The biennial election of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) is underway on Saturday at two polling centres in Dhaka and Narayanganj.
The poll began at 9:00am and will continue until 4:00pm without any break, chief election commissioner for the BKMEA polls Mohammad Ayub said.
In the election for 2012-14 term, incumbent BKMEA president AKM Salim Osman is contesting under Sammilito Knit Parishad banner while Fazlul Hoque, former president of the national platform for the knitters, is contesting under Progressive Knit Alliance panel.
A total of 27 candidates are contesting under Parishad panel while 25 under Alliance banner.
The winning panel will elect the president and four vice-presidents for the next two years.
While contacted at the Dhaka polling centre at BKMEA Dhaka office at Banglamotor, the chief election commissioner said a total of 155 voters out of 249 have already been cast their votes until 2:30pm.
The number of eligible voters this year is 403 in Narayanganj.
“The election is continuing in a peaceful manner. No untoward incident took place in Dhaka or Narayanganj,” Ayub said.
Security measures have been beefed up to avoid any untoward incident, he said.
Asked, an on-duty member of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) also said there was no untoward incident at the election booth.
“A good number of police personnel and Rab are on duty in polling centre. I have not noticed any kind of untoward incident here,” the Rab personnel said.
“No untoward incident took place both in Dhaka and Narayanganj until now at 2:40pm. The election is continuing at peaceful manner,” Fazlul Hoque told The Daily Star over phone.
“I also did not hear any problem in the election. It is continuing peacefully,” Salim Osman told The Daily Star over phone.