The FBCCI Election Board will hold a joint projection meeting featuring all candidates on a day between August 20 and 22.

The election board met yesterday to review preparations of the election slated for August 25. The board will publish the list of final candidates today. Yesterday was the last day of withdrawing candidatures. The board was verifying the withdrawal papers till filing of this report at 8pm yesterday.

Chairman of the board Lt Col (retd) Anisuzzaman said they are seeking convenient date from the candidates for the projection meeting. All the voters and candidates will be invited in the meeting to be held in FBCCI conference room.

He said the voters will ask questions to the aspirants regarding vision and development plan for the business community. It would be good opportunity for the aspirants of directors and other top posts to share their views with the voters, he added.

He said the meeting is a usual election event, which the board organises before every election.

The FBCCI (Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry) polls became uncertain after a High Court Division bench on July 26 issued a rule upon the government asking it to show cause in three weeks why the SRO on FBCCI election reform should not be declared illegal.

The High Court also stayed for a month the operation of the commerce ministry SRO that introduced a new system of election to the apex trade body.

The rule followed a writ petition filed by M A Rouf Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association.

But Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the board to complete the election as per the schedule announced on June 5, 2003, removing the uncertainty over the election.