The biennial election of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) will be held on Saturday (January 17), as the Election Commission on Wednesday granted special permission to hold the election just two days after issuing instructions to suspend all organizational elections ahead of the upcoming 13th National Election on February 12.
Following the approval, the BAIRA election to choose its 27-member executive committee for the 2026-2028 term will take place at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) in Agargaon.
A total of 91 candidates are contesting the election, running under three separate panels as well as independently. The BAIRA Sammilito Samonnoy Front panel is being led by Silverline Group's MAH Selim and Human Resources Development Center's Md. Fakhrul Islam, while the BAIRA Sammilito Ganatantrik Jote panel is led by Surma International's Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan and Al-Akaba Associate's Atikur Rahman Bishwas.
Out of approximately 1,800 members of the trade body, 1,479 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots to elect the leadership that will steer the organization for the next two years.
For the first time in BAIRA's history, members will directly vote to elect office bearers, including the a President, a Senior Vice President, three Vice Presidents, a Secretary General, three Joint Secretary Generals, a Finance Secretary, a Sports, Recreation and Cultural Secretary, a Public Relations Secretary, a Members' Welfare Secretary, and 14 executive committee members.
In previous elections, members elected only the 27 executive committee members, who subsequently selected office bearers from among themselves.
According to BAIRA members, the Sammilito Samonnoy Front, led by MAH Selim and Fakhrul Islam, represents anti-syndicate members, while the Sammilito Ganatantrik Jote panel has the support of members described as aligned with syndicate interests.
BAIRA sources further alleged that former BAIRA Secretary General Ruhul Amin Swapan, identified as a key figure associated with the Malaysia syndicate, has provided full financial backing to the Sammilito Ganatantrik Jote panel.
