2024-05-08 00:52:53
In the first phase of the Sixth Upazila Parishad election, 69.86 percent of the candidates for the post of chairman have identified themselves as businessmen. The second highest 11.19 percent occupation showed agriculture. Lawyers (6.32 percent) and teachers (4.15 percent) are in the third and fourth positions.
Anti-corruption non-governmental organization Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) disclosed this information in a press conference at Dhanmondi office in the capital on Monday (May 6). TIB organized a press conference to highlight the analysis of the affidavits of candidates for the first phase of the Upazila Parishad Election 2024.
According to TIB’s analysis, 70 percent of upazila chairman candidates are businessmen. 94 of them are millionaires. There were 37 millionaires in the last upazila council election. Compared to the last election, this number has increased almost three times.
According to TIB, there are 17 millionaires among the vice chairman candidates and 6 millionaires among the women vice chairmen. The number of millionaires in these two posts is close to three times as compared to the last election.
This millionaire is calculated on the basis of movable assets. TIB said immovable assets such as land were not brought in as millionaires as it is difficult to value them.
In the first phase of Upazila Parishad elections, 560 people are contesting for the post of chairman, 611 for the post of vice chairman and 435 for the post of women vice chairman in 150 upazilas. The first phase of voting will be held on May 8.
About 69.59 percent of the vice chairman post candidates identified themselves as businessmen. 52 percent of the women vice chairman candidates have shown housewifery as their occupation. Second highest 24 percent traders. In the next position is the social worker/organizer. Its rate is 5 percent. Teachers (4.87 percent) and farmers (3.48 percent) are in the fourth and fifth positions.
TIB says that the power of business candidates is gradually increasing in the local government elections like the national parliament elections. The number of business candidates has increased by 8 percent compared to the fourth upazila parishad election in 2014. On the other hand, the number of housewives/housekeepers, agriculturists and teacher candidates is decreasing day by day.
8 candidates have more land than the legal limit
In TIB’s analysis, 8 candidates crossed the legal limit in terms of land ownership. According to the law, a citizen can own a maximum of 100 bighas or 33 acres of land. 8 candidates have a total of 144.38 acres of excess land outside the legal limit. Bandarban Sadar Upazila Parishad chairman candidate AKM Jahangir is at the top of this list. His total land is 74.27 acres. Sitakunda chairman candidate Mohammad Ariful Alam Chowdhury, who is number eight, has 40.1 acres of land.
Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan tops the list of movable assets
Among the candidates, Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan, candidate for the post of chairman of Gopalganj Sadar, is at the top of the list of movable assets. His total movable assets are Tk. 25 crores and 24 lakhs. Anwarul Islam of Kaunia Upazila of Rangpur is number two in the list. His wealth is 20 crores and 30 lakhs. Atahar Ishraq Shabab Chowdhury is in the third position. His movable assets are worth about 19 crores. Atahar’s father Ekramul Karim Chowdhury is a Member of Parliament for Noakhali-4 Constituency. Two other candidates like Atahar are in the list, who are relatives of MPs.
Ramgarh’s Pradip Karbari has seen the highest increase in income
Biswa Pradeep Kumar Karbari, chairman of Khagrachari’s Ramgarh, is the highest in terms of income growth compared to the 2019 Upazila Parishad elections. His wealth increased by more than 3 thousand percent. Four more candidates have increased their income by more than 1000 percent. They have two female vice-chairmen and two chairman candidates.
Parvez of Phulchhari has increased the most movable assets
Compared to the 2019 Upazila Parishad elections, the most immovable assets of Gaibandhar Phulchari chairman candidate GM Salim Parvez have increased. His wealth increased by 4 thousand 251.68 percent. Five more chairman, vice chairman, women vice chairman candidates have increased their movable assets by more than 1000 percent.
The wealth of Panshar Farid’s dependents increased
Rajbari Pangsha Upazila chairman candidate Md. The wealth of Farid Hasan’s (Odud) wife and dependents increased by nearly 12,500 percent.
Top Dependents for Income Growth in 10 Years
The candidate who has increased the highest income compared to the fourth upazila parishad election 10 years ago or 2014, is Roshan Ara Sarkar, the woman vice chairman of Kapasia in Gazipur. In 10 years his income increased by more than 18 thousand percent. Gazipur Sadar chairman candidate Reena Parveen is in the next position. His income increased by 1 thousand 74 percent. Mohabbat Ali, vice chairman candidate of Comilla’s Laksam, is at number three. His income increased by about 3500 percent. Upazila Parishad public representatives have competed with parliamentarians to increase income in a decade. In the case of members of parliament, the income growth rate is the highest in 15 years, 20 thousand 192, there the wealth of upazila parishad election candidates has increased by 18 thousand percent in 10 years.