Full list of proposed names
for Election Commission

Staff Correspondent: The search committee has been at the center of discussions across the country for some time now. The search committee called for the names of those who are qualified to form a new election commission from various political parties, organizations and other interested people. In response to that call, many parties, organizations and individuals have submitted their names to the search committee. According to the pre-announcement, the search committee has also published the list of names of 322 people. There is a storm of discussion going on online and offline with that list.
The list published by the search committee shows that the names of former bureaucrats have come up the most, which is more than one-fourth of the total names. The second highest names in the list are teachers, educators and educationists. Retired judges and judges are in the next position. A significant number of names also came from former army officers and lawyers. The list also includes the names of several agriculturists, doctors and former senior police officers.
The list of names submitted to the search committee was published on the website of the cabinet department around 8 pm on Monday (February 14). Although there are 322 names in the list, only one of them has been mentioned more than once in two cases.
The list was signed by Shafiul Azim, joint secretary of the cabinet department, who is in charge of secretarial assistance to the search committee. Let’s take a look at what kind of professionals are more on this list.
93 former bureaucrats
Of the 322 people listed by the search committee, 93 were former government bureaucrats. Among them are former senior secretaries and former secretaries as well as additional secretaries, deputy secretaries and people who have been working as joint secretaries.
Notable among those on the list are: former chief secretary Abul Kalam Azad, former chief secretary Najibur Rahman, former chief secretary Mohammad Abdul Karim, former cabinet secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam. The list also includes Cameron Nahar, who retired as information secretary in late 2020. Cameron Nahar’s husband is the present cabinet secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam.
Half of the education related in list
The second highest number of names submitted to the search committee after the former bureaucrats came from the education sector including teachers and educators. University Grants Commission (UGC) former chairman Abdul Mannan, academician. Jafar Iqbal, Academician-Literary Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Dhaka University (DU) Professor Syed Manjurul Islam, Former Information Commissioner Sadeka Halim,Former Vice Chancellor of DU AAMS Arefin Siddique, eminent fiction writer and President of Bangla Academy Selina Hossain, former Vice Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University Prof. Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalim Ullah, former DU Professor. From Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque to teacher Linze Rivero and Dr. Meghna Guha is the name of the goddess.
The names of three madrasa principals have also been included in this list. They are- Principal of Mohakhali Darul Uloom Madrasa. Nazrul Islam Al Maruf Al Madani, Principal of Jatrabari Madrasa Maulana Mahmudul Hasan and Principal of Sobhania Kamil Madrasa Chittagong Saikhul Hadith Allama Qazi Moinuddin Ashrafi.
The list of former judges and judges is also long. The list of 322 people published by the search committee has the third highest number of names of about 40 former judges and judges. The list includes a section for retiring from the post of Chief Justice and Justice, as well as a list of judges retiring from the posts of Senior District and Sessions Judge and District and Sessions Judge.
Former Chief Justices Syed JR Modachir Hossain and the recently retired Syed Mahmud Hossain are on the list. Some of the notable retired judges on the list are: Abdul Wahab Mia, Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, Md. Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, Krishna Debnath, Nazmun Ara Sultana.
Former army officers
The names that the search committee called for in compiling the list of eligible persons in the Election Commission also came from among the former army officers. The names of 25 of them have been found in the list. The list includes former army chief General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan and Major General (retd) Harunur Rashid. Also present were former DGMS Lieutenant General (retd) Zafarullah Siddique, MD of Machine Tools Factory Major General (retd) Sanehuzzaman,
Former Chairman of REB Major General Md. Munul Islam, former Dean of BUP Brigadier General (Retd.) Md. Refayet Ullah, former Vice Chairman of BTRC Brigadier General (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, former Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.
No former naval officer was named in the list. However, there are names of three Air Force officers. They are: Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fakhrul Azam and Air Commander (retd) Isfaq Islam Chowdhury and Air Commodore Shafiq Elahi.
The names of 23 lawyers have been found in the list submitted to the search committee. Dr. is among them. Shahdin Malik, Advocate. Shah Alam Mia, Advocate. Abdul Motaleb Mia, Advocate Shah, Lawyers like Khasruzzaman, Advocate Khandaker Hasan Shahriar.
The list includes 11 agriculturists, 9 physicians Former Vice Chancellor of Neyakhali University of Science and Technology AKM Saidul Haque Chowdhury, former Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council agriculturist Wares Kabir, former Vice Chancellor of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University Professor Dr. A total of 11 agriculturists, including Nitish Chandra Debnath, who are engaged in other professions, have been named.
Meanwhile, 9 doctors have been found as professionals in the list. Some of them are: Professor Dr. Neurologist. Kazi Deen Mohammad, former adviser to the caretaker government. Sufia Rahman, former departmental chairman of Bangabandhu Medical University. Selimur Rahman, President of the Bangladesh Women’s Council. Fauzia Moslem, former chairman of the Bangladesh Medical Association. Sarwar Ali and former Secretary General. Md. Shafiqur Rahman.
Names of former police officers
Many also want to see former senior police officers in the Election Commission. The list published by the search committee has found the names of at least 6 people who have retired from all the top posts of Bangladesh Police. Former IGPs AKM Shahidul Haque and Hasan Mahmud Khandaker are on the list. Former Additional IGPs include Iqbal Bahar, Mir Shahidul Islam and Mahabub Hossain.
There are 4 journalists At least four journalists were named in the list published by the search committee. Among them are former information adviser to the prime minister Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, journalist Ajay Das Gupta, journalist and writer Abu Saeed Khan and editor of the daily Purba Tara. Saiful Islam Siddique.
Other names the list
Several other well-known faces from different walks of life have found a place in this list published by the search committee. In other words, the names of these people have been suggested by some party or individual to the search committee. Among them are: Human Rights Activist Advocate Sultana Kamal, Citizens for Good Governance (Sujan) Secretary. Badiul Alam Majumder, former caretaker government adviser Geeti Ara Safia Chowdhury, local government expert. Tofail Ahmed, former Governor of Bangladesh Bank Farasuddin Ahmed,
The economist said. Ahsan H Mansoor, Chairman of Safe Roads Wanted Movement Chitranayak Ilyas Kanchan, Fashion Designer BB Russell, Former Minister M Nazim Uddin Al-Azad, Former Director General of BTV SM Harun-ur-Rashid, Poet Firoza Akter, FBCCI President Jasim Uddin, Women Leader Kabir. Besides, the name of search committee member Sohul Hossain has also been suggested to the search committee.
According to the law, the term of the current Election Commission ended just after midnight on Monday. However, the search committee has until February 24 to submit to the President a list of eligible candidates for the new Election Commission. Concerned parties, including the law minister, said that even if the term of the commission expires, there will be no legal complications in the absence of time until a new commission is formed. As such, the search committee will be able to submit a list of names to the President at any time by February 24.
See the full list published by the search committee as follows: