Pro-govt SCP panel wins BMA polls

Dr Mahmud Hasan and Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed have been unofficially elected president and secretary general of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).
Talking to The Daily Star, chief election commissioner of the BMA, Dr ASM Mashiur Rahman said they had got the reports from 50 out of 67 voting centres across the country.
Ruling party-backed Mahmud-Sharfuddin panel of Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishad (SCP) won the election almost unopposed as three other panels, including the main opposition BNP-backed panel of Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), boycotted the election, expressing doubts about the credibility of the election process.
The election was held across the country on Thursday, with participation of only the Mahmud-Sharfuddin panel and partial participation of the communist party-backed Bangladesh Doctors for Environment and Health.
The elected members are -- president Mahmud Hassan, seven vice-presidents -- Abdur Rouf Sarkar, Kamrul Hassan Khan, M Nazrul Islam, Nurul Islam, Sheikh Baharul Alam, Mostafa Alam Nannu, Md Ehteshamul Chowdhury, secretary general Sharfuddin Ahmed, treasurer Ehesanul Kabir Jaglul, joint secretary Md Abdul Aziz, general secretary Uttam Kumar Barua, science secretary Samiul Islam Sadi, organising secretary Md Kamrul Hasan, publicity and public relation secretary Md Mahbubur Rahman, social welfare secretary Md Ahsan Habib Helal, cultural and hospitality secretary Shamsad Begum, library and publication secretary Afsana Karim and international relations secretary Muhammad Hossain with 22 executive committee members to run the BMA centrally.
Voter turnout was low across the country. Dr ASM Mashiur Rahman said 40 percent of votes were cast out of total 25,133 voters to elect the office-bearers.
According to the BMA election commission, the finalised list could be available tomorrow. Committee members for 37 districts have already been selected uncontested, sources from the association said.