Staff Correspondent: Mohammad Hatem, Managing Director of MB Knit Fashion Ltd, and leader of the Progressive Knit Alliance, has secured a sweeping victory in the 2025-27 board election of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). His panel won all 35 seats up for grabs, marking a resounding endorsement from the knitwear industry.
Voting took place on Saturday (10 May) from 9 am to 5 pm at two centres - the BKMEA headquarters in Chashara, Narayanganj, and the organisation's Dhaka office in Banglamotor. Following the close of voting, ballots were counted on-site at both locations.
Out of 572 registered voters, 431 cast their ballots - a turnout of approximately 75.35%. The Dhaka centre recorded 231 votes, 12 of which were deemed invalid. In Narayanganj, 200 votes were cast, with 11 invalidated. This brought the total number of valid votes to 408.
The election board, led by Chairman Shafiullah Chowdhury and members Obaidur Rahman and Mohammad Ayub in Narayanganj, oversaw the process. In Dhaka, board member Mohammad Shahjahan Siddiqui and appeal board member Advocate Awlad Hossain supervised the voting. A total of 38 candidates contested the election, with 35 being officially declared winners.
Among the elected board members are: Mohammad Hatem, Belayet Hossain Ripon, Fakir Kamruzzaman Nahid, Ashiqur Rahman, M Isfaq Ahsan, Ahmed Noor Faisal, Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Md Abdul Hannan, Mohsin Rabbani, Shahriar Said, Imran Kader Turjo, Mohammad Shamsul Azam, Gawhar Siraj Jamil, Abdul Barek, Md Jamal Uddin Mia, Md Moniruzzaman, Md Shamsuzzaman, Mohammad Rashed, Fazle Shamim Ehsan, Mansur Ahmed, Mamunur Rashid, Khandaker Saiful Islam, Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Md Yasin, Rajib Chowdhury, Fauzul Imran Khan, Mohammad Zakaria Wahid, Md Morshed Sarwar, Mohammad Selim, Minhajul Haque, Amal Poddar, Rakib Sobhan Mia, Salah Uddin Ahmed, Nando Dular Saha, and Ratan Kumar Saha.
The official results were announced from the Narayanganj centre by the election board chairman, Shafiullah Chowdhury.
This marks the first full-fledged board election for BKMEA in over a decade. The last such election was held in 2012, making this year's polls a significant event for the country's knitwear industry - a sector that continues to play a vital role in Bangladesh's export economy.
