35pc candidates have no income tax records: Sujan

Nearly half of the candidates contesting the 13th National Parliamentary Election fall into the low-income bracket, raising renewed concerns over the socio-economic profile of electoral contenders and the effectiveness of Bangladesh's affidavit disclosure system.

According to data released by Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan), 832 out of 2,026 candidates-about 41 percent-reported annual incomes of less than Tk 5 lakh. In contrast, only 95 candidates, or 4.59 per cent, declared earnings exceeding Tk 1 crore, while, some 155 candidates did not submit their income tax-related documents to the EC.

Nearly 35 per cent of the candidates, or 707 individuals, have no publicly available income tax records, said the report.
The findings were unveiled at a press conference titled "Presentation of information of candidates contesting the election" held at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.

Sujan's analysis shows that 741 candidates reported annual incomes between Tk 5 lakh and Tk 25 lakh, while 132 candidates fell within the Tk 25-50 lakh range. Another 71 candidates declared incomes between Tk 50 lakh and Tk 1 crore. However, 155 candidates did not disclose any income information in their affidavits, raising questions about compliance with statutory requirements under the Representation of the People Order.

Among candidates earning more than Tk 1 crore annually, 51 are BNP nominees, followed by 25 independents and five candidates from the Jatiya Party.

A comparison with the 12th parliamentary election reveals a slight decline at both ends of the income spectrum. In the previous election, 8.77 percent of candidates earned over Tk 1 crore, while 45 percent reported incomes below Tk 5 lakh. In the current election, those figures have dropped to 4.59 percent and 41 percent respectively.

Sujan also published a list of the 10 highest-earning candidates, highlighting significant wealth concentration. BNP candidate Zakaria Taher of Comilla-8 topped the list with an annual income of about Tk 600 million, followed by independent candidate Md Asadul Islam of Tangail-1 with Tk 400 million. BNP nominee Zakir Hossain Patwari of Lakshmipur-1 ranked third with approximately Tk 190 million.

Sujan said the disclosures underline persistent inequality within the electoral field and stressed the need for stricter enforcement of affidavit regulations to ensure transparency, accountability, and a level playing field in the democratic process.