Faruque Hassan is set to head BGMEA as Sammilita Parishad wins polls

Faruque Hassan is set to become president of garment exporters’ group BGMEA as his panel Sammilita Parishad led by the Giant Group boss has won 24 out of the 35 posts of directors.

Forum, the other panel of outgoing BGMEA President Rubana Huq, secured the remaining 11 seats in the elections held on Sunday.

Faruque, a former director, vice-president and senior vice-president of the association, secured 1,204 votes according to the results published at midnight.

He is also serving as consul general of Greece in Dhaka. Abdus Salam Murshedy, former president of the BGMEA, is the coordinator of the Sammilita Parishad panel.

Rubana got 1,157 votes while ABM Shamsuddin, managing director of Hannan Group and Forum’s president candidate, bagged 904 votes.

Now only the formalities remain to elect Faruque president in a meeting of the newly elected directors.

Polling began by adhering to the coronavirus health rules amid the pandemic at 9am at the Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden hotel in Dhaka and the BGMEA’s regional office in Chattogram.

As many as 1,996 voters out of 2,314 cast their ballots until 7pm in the polls to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA.

The Sammilita Parishad and the Forum have been competing against each other in the BGMEA elections since the organisation’s inception.

But in the last few elections, leaders have been elected through a compromise between the two councils.

The emergence of another platform, Swadhinata Parishad, the last time forced the two old panels to join forces and announce a combined council headed by Rubana.

Jahangir Alam, managing director of the Design and Source, who had formed the Swadhinata Parishad before the 2019 election to the association, had sought to challenge the nomination of a president through compromise between the two main camps.

He had hinted at contesting in the election again this time, but finally decided to back the Sammilita Parishad, which has picked him as a candidate of their own.