Voting is currently underway in the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) board of directors election, which will steer the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry into a new era from 2025 to 2027.

This is the first major trade body election in the country since the political changeover in August 2024 and the subsequent dissolution of the previous BGMEA committee.

The main contest in this crucial election is between the Sammilito Parishad and Forum panels.

Mahmud Hasan Khan, Managing Director of Rising Fashions and former vice-president of the BGMEA, is leading the Forum panel.

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Meanwhile, Md Abul Kalam, Managing Director of Chaiti Group and a former BGMEA director from a decade ago, is heading the Sammilito Parishad panel.

Both leaders have expressed satisfaction with the voting process and voter turnout and each remains optimistic about securing victory.

In the initial two and a half hours, 225 voters had cast their votes.

The polling began at 8:00 am today (Saturday) at the Radisson Hotel in Dhaka and is also being held simultaneously in Chattogram.

According to BGMEA, there are 1,561 registered voters in Dhaka. By 10:30 am, 14.41 percent of them had cast their ballots.

Three alliances—Forum, Sammilito Parishad, and Oikya Parishad—are contesting for the 35 director posts of the organisation.

The main competition lies between Forum and Sammilito Parishad, both of which have fielded full panels of candidates in Dhaka and Chattogram.

Oikya Parishad has fielded only six candidates, bringing the total number of contestants to 76.

The overall number of voters stands at 1,864—of whom 1,561 are in Dhaka and 303 in Chattogram. During the last BGMEA election, the total number of voters was 2,496. This time, only entrepreneurs of active factories are eligible to vote, leading to a reduced voter count.