Doctors to elect a new BMA committee after four years

The biennial elections of the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) will be held on Thursday with opposition BNP-lenient doctors boycotting the vote.

Ruling Awami League-backed Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad and the left-leaning physicians group, the Doctors for Health and Environment, are the two contesting panels in the elections being held after four years.

Some 36,166 doctors will vote across Bangladesh from 8.3Oam to 4pm to elect the new committee.

Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin and Dr Ehteshamul Haque Chowdhury Dulal are leading the pro-government panel while Dr SM Fazlur Rahman and Dr Shakil Akhter are leading the pro-left panel as President and General Secretary candidate respectively.

Of the 42 executives, eight have already been elected uncontested. The elections will also elect 138 central councilors from Dhaka by 13,7O4 doctors.

Opposition BNP-backed Doctors' Association of Bangladesh and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed National Doctors' Forum earlier decided to boycott the election slapping allegation of bias against the Election Commission.

The left-leaning doctors at a press briefing on Wednesday also alleged that their campaign posters have been removed from different places.

BMA Chief Election Commissioner Dr Md Lutfor Rahman, however, rejected such allegations and told bdnews24.com that they did not notice any such incidents.