About 24% of the total 48 candidates who are going to contest the elections to women reserved seats of the 10th parliament are millionaires, said a report released by Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) yesterday.
The report said 27.43% out of 38 Awami League candidates are millionaires and they have movable and immovable wealth worth over Tk 1 crore each.
However, the income of nine candidates from AL and Jatiya Party who were MPs in the ninth parliament has increased by 151%. The net assets of nine women MPs of the last parliament have increased by nearly six times on average in last five years.
SHUJAN, an organisation of civil society members working for establishing good governance, released the report at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity. The report was prepared on the basis of information given in the affidavits of 48 aspirants.
Of them, AL-nominated candidate Pinu Khan topped the list whose net assets increased by around 25 times while JP-nominated candidates Mahjabin Murshed and Noor-e-Hasna Lily Chowdhury ranked second and third. Their net assets increased by around 15 and seven times respectively.
If the values of wealth were mentioned in the affidavits, the number of millionaire candidates would increase, the report said.
SHUJAN has analysed the assets of 48 candidates as the election commission has cancelled the nominations of two candidates, one each from AL and Jatiya Party, for default in telephone bills.
Of the 38 AL candidates, 10 are millionaires. Nilufar Zafar Ullah, wife of AL presidium member Kazi Zafar Ullah, has wealth worth over Tk 5 crore.
The annual income of the nine aspirants and their family members has increased by over 1.5 times on average in last five years. Of them, the income of Sanjida Khanom has increased by over 15 times.
Although the annual income of Tarana Halim and Mahjabin and their family members reduced by around 22% and 85% respectively, their net assets have increased by around 2.2 and 15 times.
Of the total candidates, 12 have assets worth over Tk 1 crore while only three have assets worth less than Tk 3 lakhs.
According to the report, 34 out of 48 candidates have completed graduation while six could not complete school education. Twelve candidates are businesspersons while only three are housewives. Besides, none of the aspirants is accused in any case.
Referring to a news report, SHUJAN officials claimed that nepotism dominated throughout the procedure of nominating the candidates. As a result, at least nine aspirants of the 48 are not actively involved in politics.
Meanwhile, Farhad Hossain, senior assistant secretary of the EC, told the Dhaka Tribune that none of the 48 candidates for reserved seat polls withdrew their candidacy on Tuesday, the last date for withdrawal of candidature. So, they are going to be elected unopposed, he added. He said the commission will publish the gazette of 48 women MPs today and announce the reschedule for the polls in two seats, 21 days after publishing the gazette.