Nazmul Hassan was elected a director in the election of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday paving his way to hold the board’s top post for the third consecutive term.

He bagged 53 votes in the second category where 16 candidates contested for 12 director posts, according to unofficial results.

On Thursday, he is expected to be the BCB president for the new term by the votes of the newly-elected directors.

Nazmul was first appointed as the board president by the Bangladesh government in 2012.

He was later elected as the president unopposed in the last election in 2017.

Ali Reza, the returning officer of the BCB election, announced the unofficial result on Wednesday evening.

BCB has a total of 25 posts for the directors, and two will be nominated by the National Sports Council (NSC). The election is for the other 23 posts.

Read: Khaled Mashud concedes defeat in BCB election, thanks voters

A total of 32 candidates had collected nomination papers, and two of them had recalled their participation before the election. The election was held for 16 posts, which later reduced to 14 posts as two other candidates recalled their participation on the day right before the election day. However, their name was printed on the ballot papers as they recalled their participation after the deadline.

A total of 10 directors are supposed to be elected from the representatives of regional and district cricket bodies, which is named as category 1, 12 directors are supposed to be elected from the representatives of the Dhaka-based clubs, which is labelled as category 2, and one director is supposed to be elected from another category or category 3.

According to the unofficial result, seven directors have been elected unopposed in category 1. This number increased to nine when two candidates from the Dhaka division recalled their participation on the day before the election day.

From this category, the only contest was between former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud and Saiful Islam Saiful Alam Swapan Chowdhury where Saiful Alam won by a big margin. However, the total number of votes is due to be revealed on Thursday.

A J M Nasir Uddin, Akram Khan (Chattogram), Kazi Inam Ahmed and Sheikh Sohel (Khulna), Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel (Sylhet), Anwarul Islam (Rangpur), Alamgir Khan Alo (Barishal) have won unopposed in category 1 while Naimur Rahman and Tanvir Ahmed Titu have been added in this list from Dhaka division as two of their rivals— Syed Ashfaqul Islam and Khalid Hossian— recalled their participation on the day before the election day.

All eyes were on category 2 where 16 candidates contested for 12 director posts. Along with Nazmul, Gazi Golam Mortaza (Gazi Group Cricketers) and Enayet Hossain Siraj (Azad Sporting Club) bagged 53 votes each.

The other nine who are elected from category two are Najib Ahmed (Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi), Mahbubul Anam (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Obed Rashid Nizam (Shinepukur Cricket Club), Salahuddin Chowdhury (Kakrail Boys Club), Ismail Haider Mallick (Sheikh Jamal Cricketers), Fahim Sinha (Surjo Tarun Club), Iftekhar Rahman (Fear Fighters Sporting Club), Monjur Kader (Dhaka Assets), Monjur Alam (Asif Shifa Academy).

Masuduzzaman, Saiful Islam Bhuiyan, Abdur Rahman and Rafiqul Islam were defeated in category 2.

In the other category, category 3, former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud beat Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.

It is expected that two former BCB directors nominated by the NSC, Jalal Yunus and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam, will be nominated once again for the period of another four years.

According to the returning officer, the total number of votes that the candidates have bagged will be declared on Thursday. And, the new president of the board will also be elected by the votes of the newly-elected directors on the same day.