Upazila chairmen's assets rise up to 4,200%, MPs' 3,065%
TIB findings also said about 70% of chairman candidates are businessmen
- Businessmen candidates dominate upazila elections
- 69.86% of chairman candidates identify as businessmen
- 69.59% of vice-chairman candidates identify as businessmen
- 94 chairman and 17 vice-chairman candidates are multi-millionaires
- Eight candidates have land ownership exceeding the legal limit
The moveable assets of upazila parishad chairmen witnessed a significant rise, higher than those of parliament members, over the last five years, according to a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) analysis of candidate affidavits.
The TIB finding, revealed Monday (6 May), was based on 1,606 affidavits of candidates, from 144 upazila parishads, in the upcoming first phase of the 6th upazila parishad elections slated for 8 May.
Among the candidates, GM Salim Parvez of Gaibandha's Phulchhari stands out with the highest asset growth, exceeding 4,200%. Comparatively, Mamunur Rashid Kiron, lawmaker of Noakhali-3, recorded the highest growth among the parliament members with a 3,065% rise.
Parvez's affidavit details his land holdings, including 1.7 acres of agricultural land, 3.5 decimals of non-agricultural land, and a multi-storey building. He also owns shared land and a highrise building in Dhaka, along with a fishery project.
His wealth extends to cash and bank deposits over Tk25 lakh, along with 25 bhori of gold, electronic goods, and furniture worth over Tk2 lakh.
His income sources include agriculture, rent from properties, business ventures, and various deposits and interests. Notably, his previous affidavit remains unavailable on official websites, hindering a comparison of his current wealth with his earlier declarations.
Furthermore, TIB identified 84 other chairmen, vice-chairmen, and women vice-chairperson who experienced substantial asset growth, five of them over 1,000%.
Mirroring trends observed in national elections, TIB analysis reveals a growing dominance of businessmen in the upazila parishad polls.
Among chairperson candidates in the first phase, 69.86% identified themselves as businesspersons, followed by agriculture (11.19%), law (6.32%), and educators (4.15%).
Nearly 69.59% of vice-chairperson candidates have identified themselves as businessmen. Of the total female vice-chairperson candidates, 52% mentioned homemaking and 24% business as primary professions.
Furthermore, TIB identified a significant rise in multi-millionaires contesting these local government positions. In the first phase alone, 94 of 560 chairperson candidates, 17 of 611 vice-chairperson candidates, and 6 of 435 female vice-chairperson candidates hold multi-millionaire status, exceeding the number observed in previous elections.
Notably, these calculations are based solely on movable assets, excluding the complexities of valuing fixed assets like land.
Additionally, the TIB data identifies eight candidates exceeding the legal land ownership limit of 100 bighas (33 acres). Eight candidates have a total excess land area of 144.38 acres beyond the legal limit.
Biswa Pradeep Kumar Karbari, a chairperson candidate in Rangamati Sadar Upazila, tops the list with a landholding exceeding 74 acres.
Some 23.41% candidates have debt or liabilities with the highest recorded as Tk1528 crore.