By Staff Reporter : The 2026 biennial election of Bishwanath Probashi Education Trust UK, one of the largest social and educational organisations representing the Bishwanath expatriate community in the United Kingdom, has concluded with Guljar Khan elected as Chairperson, Mohammad Mahabbat Sheikh elected General Secretary and Monir Ahmed elected Treasurer.
Held on Sunday, 18 October 2026, the election witnessed a closely contested race between two panels, with candidates competing for most of the positions.
A total of 34 candidates contested the election under the Guljar-Kuddus-Monir panel and the Mishba-Mahabbat-Nesar panel.
Guljar Khan secured 393 votes to win the Chairperson position, defeating his closest rival, Mishba Uddin, who received 356 votes.
For the General Secretary position, Mohammad Mahabbat Sheikh won with 389 votes, while his rival, Abdul Kuddus, received 344 votes.
Monir Ahmed was elected Treasurer with 384 votes, defeating Nesar Ali Lilu, who secured 349 votes.
In the Vice-Chairperson category, Akhlakur Rahman secured 435 votes and Azam Khan received 427 votes to win their respective positions. Their rivals, Kabir Mia and Farid Ahmed, received 295 and 293 votes respectively.
Abdur Rahim Ronju and Shariful Islam were elected Joint General Secretaries with 416 and 394 votes respectively. Their opponents, Shah Nurul Alam Nahin and Sirajul Islam, received 312 and 300 votes respectively.
Abul Hossain Mamun won the Assistant Treasurer position with 400 votes, defeating Tofazzul Alam, who received 246 votes.
Daulat Hossain was elected Press and Publicity Secretary with 413 votes, while Khaled Masud Rony received 319 votes.
In the Cultural Secretary election, Modorich Ali Mofazzal secured 392 votes to defeat Abdur Rob, who received 313 votes.
Azizur Rahman Khan Raju topped the vote count for the seven executive committee member positions, securing the highest number of votes in the category with 451.
The other elected members were Aminur Rahman with 429 votes, Abdul Basit Rafi with 388, Shah Tajul Islam with 378, Ruhel Islam with 373, Md Kamruzzaman with 370 and Azizur Rahman Rumel with 357 votes.
The other candidates in this category received the following votes: Ruhel Mia 345, Shamim Nur 331, Muhit Mia 299, Golzar Ahmed Foysal 295, Abdul Hamid 279, Shamim Ahmed 277 and Mohiuddin Palash 266.
Following his election, Chairperson Guljar Khan said the trustees’ renewed confidence in him was both an honour and a significant responsibility.
He said he wanted to strengthen the Trust’s contribution to education and social development in Bishwanath.
“With everyone’s cooperation, I want to expand scholarship programmes, maintain unity within the organisation and ensure transparency in the Trust’s assets and activities,” he said.
Newly elected General Secretary Mohammad Mahabbat Sheikh said he would strive to honour the responsibility entrusted to him by the trustees through their votes.
“Although there was competition during the election, we are all part of the same organisation. I want to work with everyone to support underprivileged and talented students in Bishwanath and make the Trust’s activities more dynamic,” he said.
Newly elected Treasurer Monir Ahmed said transparency and accountability in financial management would be among his main priorities.
He emphasised the importance of ensuring that the funds and trust placed in the organisation by its members were used appropriately.
“Maintaining well-organised financial records and ensuring the effective use of funds for education and social welfare will be among my key responsibilities,” he said.
Following the completion of voting, ballot counting took place before the results were announced at 10pm UK local time.
Chief Election Commissioner and Immigration Judge Belayet Hossain announced the results alongside Election Commissioner A K M Yahhya. Professor Nurul Islam, Professor Muhammad Abdul Matin and Abul Kahar were also present.
Belayet Hossain said conducting the voting, counting ballots and announcing the results of a competitive election had been an important responsibility for the Election Commission.
“The trustees participated enthusiastically and elected their preferred candidates. We announced the results by following the prescribed procedures. It is now everyone’s responsibility to put the electoral competition behind them and work together for the greater interests of the organisation,” he said.
Following the announcement of the results, a cordial atmosphere developed among supporters of both panels and the trustees.
Those present said the election, which attracted one of the largest turnouts in the organisation’s history, had created an opportunity for the new leadership to take the Trust forward.
They described Bishwanath Probashi Education Trust UK as a symbol of unity and pride for the Bishwanath community living in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1994, the Trust has long been involved in promoting education and social development in Bishwanath Upazila, Sylhet, Bangladesh. It currently has 808 trustees.
Financial contributions from trustees play a vital role in supporting the organisation’s educational and social welfare programmes.
The new committee is expected to focus on expanding scholarships, supporting underprivileged and talented students, ensuring transparency in financial management and encouraging younger generations growing up in the UK to become more actively involved in the organisation.
Trustees hope that delivering on the commitments made during the election will further strengthen the Trust’s contribution to education and social development in Bishwanath.
