MB Knit Fashion Ltd managing director Mohammad Hatem led panel, Progressive Knit Alliance, will run the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) for the next two-year term after sweeping all 35 director posts in the trade body’s biennial election held on Saturday.

For the first time since 2012, members of BKMEA on Saturday elected their leadership through a formal vote, ending 13 years of unopposed control under AKM Salim Osman, the former president of the association.

A total of 38 candidates, including 35 from the Progressive Knit Alliance and three independents, were took part in the election for the 2025–2027 term.

The long-awaited BKMEA election saw a strong voter response, with 431 out of 572 registered voters casting ballots — a 75.35 per cent turnout overall.

By zone, Narayanganj recorded the highest participation, with 234 out of 272 voters turning out (86 per cent).

Dhaka saw a 62.5 per cent turnout (140 out of 224 voters), while Chattogram registered a 75 per cent turnout (57 out of 76 voters).

The former president of BKMEA salim Osman, also a former Member of Parliament for Narayanganj-5, had held the association’s presidency for seven consecutive terms without contest, as no elections were held for the board of directors since 2012.

That year marked the last competitive race, when Md Fazlul Haque, managing director of Plummy Fashions Ltd, stood against Salim.

Following that vote, Salim consolidated his position, with the board repeatedly formed by internal consensus, bypassing the general membership’s voting rights.

Even as recently as July 2023, he was reappointed president without an election.

However, the political landscape shifted with the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024, which opened the door to long-suppressed democratic processes within the BKMEA.

The election marked the first time in more than a decade that the organisation’s general members had a say in its leadership.

The newly elected directors are Mohammad Hatem of MB Knit Fashion Ltd, Fazlee Shamim Ehsan of Fatullah Apparels Ltd, Md Mohsin Rabbani of Abloom Design Ltd, M Ishfaq Ahsan of Ahsan Composite Ltd, Khandakar Shaiful Islam of Amäna Knittex Ltd, Md. Moniruzzaman of Badon Fashion Ltd, Fouzul Imran Khan of Benchmark Apparels Ltd, Ahsan Khan Chowdhury of Chorka Textile Ltd, Fakir Kamruzzaman Nahid of Fakir Fashion Ltd, Mohammad Salim of Farzana Fashions World Ltd, Minhazul Hoque of Fatullah Dyeing & Calendering Mills Ltd, Gauhar Siraj Jamil of Four H Fashion Ltd, Salah Uddin Ahmed of IFS Texwear (Pvt) Ltd, Rakib Sobhan Miah of Inspire Sourcing, Md Shamsuzzaman of Liberty Knitwear Ltd, Md. Abdul Hannan of M/S Knit Syndicate, Amal Podder of Metro Knitting & Dyeing Mills Ltd, Md Monir Hosain Sheikh of Monira Knit Apparels Ltd, Abdul Barek of Moontaha Apparels Ltd, Mansoor Ahmed of Mother Color Ltd, Md. Mamunur Rashid of N T Apparels Unit-2 Ltd, Ratan Kumar Saha of PM Knittex (Pvt) Ltd, Mohammad Rashed of Pacific Sweaters Ltd, Ashiqur Rahman of Rahman Sports Wear Ltd, Mohammed Shamsul Azam of Renown Apparels Ltd, Md. Morshed Sarwar of RS Composite, Belayet Hossen Ripon of Shrabony Knitwear Ltd, Md Yasin of Sonnet Fashions Ltd, Imran Kader Turjo of Southern Knitwear Ltd, Nanda Dulal Saha of United Apparels, Md Shahriar Syeed of V-Teac Fashion (Pvt) Ltd, Ahammed Noor Faisal of Visual Knitwear Ltd, Rajiv Chowdhury of Young 4 Ever Textiles Ltd, Md Jamal Uddin Miah of Zaheen Knitwears Ltd and Mohammad Nazrul Islam of ZS Style Bd Ltd.

The newly elected 35 directors will elect a president, an executive president, a senior vice-president and six vice-presidents on May 15.