It was a pin-drop silence with all present in the hotel ballroom eagerly waiting for this moment to come – the revelation of Nagad’s BMW car winner.
Amid such an exciting atmosphere, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar finally announced the name of the lucky winner – Pahlowan Mahbub Haider from Dhaka.
Nagad, a popular mobile financial service in Bangladesh, organised a grand event to give away a BMW car to the winner in a five-star hotel on Tuesday. Thus, the curtain fell on the country’s biggest payment campaign, read a press release.
Minister Mustafa Jabbar, founder and Managing Director of Nagad Ltd Tanvir A Mishuk and film star Ananta Jalil handed over the vehicle’s key to Mahbub Haider, who secured the highest number of votes given by Nagad customers across the country.
In the final stage of the mega campaign, Nagad got the top 10 out of the 71 shortlisted individuals through voting by its customers.
Mahbub topped the list with 4,73,027 votes and won the BMW car, while Sylvia Yaseen from Chattogram stood second with 4,11,813 votes. And Saidur Rahaman Sohel from Cox’s Bazar grabbed the third position with 3,34,099 votes.
In terms of votes, other people in the top 10 list included Md Nasim from Bhola, Abu Sayed Bin Shovon from Cumilla, Sanzida Yasmin Mili from Jashore, Sajjad Ahammad from Noakhali, Nehrin Nosin from Rangpur, Md Wasim Akram from Chapainawabganj and Md Masum Mridha from Barishal.
A total of 45,39,055 votes were cast during the campaign.
Mahbub was lost for words after winning the BMW car. He fell silent and could not speak for a few moments. “I would consider myself an ambassador of bad luck. But today, I’m speechless and cannot believe my eyes that I have won a BMW car. I might be able to give my reactions tomorrow when I become normal,” he said.
Congratulating the winner, Minister Mustafa Jabbar as the chief guest said, “From the very beginning, Nagad has been doing one after another wonders. Giving this BMW car as a gift under a payment campaign is the latest one.”
Talking about such a massive arrangement, Nagad MD Tanvir A Mishuk said, “The BMW campaign is not just a campaign, rather it is a big initiative to help the country move towards a Smart Bangladesh.
“I believe such a payment campaign will play a significant role in establishing a cashless society in Bangladesh,” he added.
Three cricketers of the Bangladesh National Team – Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim – congratulated the BMW winner and other participants in separate video messages.
The mega payment campaign, which started in the last week of March and ended on June 30, has earned a massive response from people across the country. Over the last three months, Nagad’s transactions, mainly in the form of merchant payments and mobile recharge, have reached a record high, riding on this mega BMW campaign.
Through random selection in phases using “Bangla AI,” 71 people out of crores were shortlisted at the end of the campaign. Later, Nagad customers across the country voted for their favourite candidates for the BMW car by logging in to their Nagad accounts.
Earlier, as part of the campaign, a show titled “Ke Jitbe BMW?” (Who will win BMW?) was telecast on more than one TV channels, with the participation of popular celebrities and social media influencers as guests. In the final episode, Bangladesh cricket team’s star cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim was present as the special guest.
To finalise the list of candidates for the BMW car, in keeping with Mushfiqur’s ODI fifties, 44 people from 37 districts were initially picked using “Bangla AI.”
Later, the number was raised to 71 as Mushfiqur suggested that at least one person from each district be included in the final list.
Mentionable, under the mega payment campaign, Nagad handed over several Sedan cars, nearly 500 motorbikes and refrigerators, smart televisions, mobiles, smartwatches, headphones, etc to winners.
They received such exciting gifts from their favourite celebrities, including Bangladesh National Cricket Team’s ODI captain Tamim Iqbal Khan and television stars. Besides, Nagad gave prizes to many winners by going to their homes.
