At last, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) is heading to an election. In the association's biennial election for the 2026–2028 term, 26 candidates are initially in the race across 11 posts, including four for the president position. After completing the scrutiny of nomination papers, the BASIS election board released the preliminary candidate list today, Thursday.

Running for president in the published preliminary list are Rafay Kabir, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Iqbal Ahmed Fokhrua Hasan and AKM Ashraf Uddin. Contesting the senior vice president post are Saiful Islam Siddique, Noor Mahmud Khan and Anisul Haque Bhuyan.

Candidates for vice president (admin) are Riyad Hasnain and Md. Musnad A Ahmed, while the vice president (finance) race features Tania Sultana, Tawfiqueul Karim and Tanjil Absedin.

For director (general), the candidates are Md. Jewel, Sujon Mohammad Tareq, Apel Mahmud Khan, Arefin Rafi Ahmed, Abdullah Al Mamun, Ferdous Alam, Md. Rashidul Islam and Md. Fuad Hasan.

Running for director (associate) are Syed Sheikhul Alam, Md. Jubayer and Ahmed Arman Siddique, while Sumaya Islam is a candidate for the director (affiliate) post.

As per the election schedule, the list of valid candidates will be published on September 2, after objections and appeals against nomination cancellation are resolved. The deadline for withdrawing candidacy is September 3, and the final candidate list will be issued on September 5. The BASIS election itself will be held on September 26.

Presidential candidate Mohammad Rafiqul Islam told Prothom Alo, “We want to take BASIS to a new height. A healthy and fair election is our primary demand. We call for an environment for an acceptable election rather than dragging up past grievances or disputes with the Ministry of Commerce.”

Presidential candidate Rafay Kabir told Prothom Alo, “We want a fair election in which members can come and cast their votes. BASIS has fallen by the wayside, and it has to be pulled up from there. Just as the country became independent after August 5, BASIS must be freed as well.”

Presidential candidate Iqbal Ahmed Fuzun Hasan told Prothom Alo, “The BASIS election should be fair, transparent, neutral and participatory, where each voter's opinion is honored and reflected. I believe an acceptable election is the foundation for a strong and unified BASIS.”

Members of BASIS say they want a fair election, noting that some members are trying to stop the election through political influence. They urged that the election be held properly to move the country's information technology sector forward.

The BASIS election board is chaired by Tania Islam, a deputy secretary at the Ministry of Commerce. Its members are Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Provanshu and Deputy Secretary Mohammad Zakir Hossain.