Dhaka [Bangladesh], October 1 (ANI): Former captain Tamim Iqbal, one of 16 candidates to withdraw from participating in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections, has made allegations of interference in the polls. During his scathing tirade, Tamim even went on to claim that the election has become a stain on the BCB.

The BCB elections are for the board of directors, with 23 members chosen by vote, while two will be appointed as government representatives. Barishal (Shakhawat Hossain), Sylhet (Rahat Shams), Chattogram (Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury and Asif Akbar) and Khulna (Abdur Razzak and Julfikar Ali Khan) have automatically become board directors due to no contest in their sub-categories.

Tamim is the representative of Old DOHS, one of the 76 clubs participating in the Category 2 elections. After submitting his withdrawal papers on Wednesday, Tamim alleged that the elections had been held unfairly.

'At least 14 or 15 of us have withdrawn our nominations today. The reason for this withdrawal is very clear. From the very beginning, I have been saying one thing, and you are all clear about it now--about which direction this election is going or how it is being conducted. Whatever seems right at any moment, whatever they want to do, is being done,' Tamim said on Wednesday as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'This is not really an election. This is not an election, and this doesn't suit cricket in any way. A lot has been said at different times, but at the end of the day, I feel that we cannot be a part of this. I always say one thing: cricket, Bangladesh cricket does not deserve this, and the cricket fans of Bangladesh do not deserve this either,' he added.

Tamim's frustration stemmed from the repeated extension of deadlines for the submission of nomination papers and concluded by saying, '(Match) fixing is often talked about quite loudly, but it is the election fixing that needs to be stopped first. I think it is crystal clear to everyone who was involved, at what time, what kind of involvement they had, what kind of interference occurred, and how the rules were changed at will for convenience. I will end my speech by saying that this election has become a black mark for the Bangladesh Cricket Board.' (ANI)