Health and Family Planning Minister AFM Ruhul Haque and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haq Inu are among those who have yet to turn in their election expenses returns.

Saturday was the closing date for submitting expenditure statements to the Election Commission (EC).

The health minister did not hand in his statement as of 8:00pm yesterday, reports our Satkhira correspondent, quoting a staffer at the district election office.

In Kushtia, except Inu, all who contested four seats in the district have submitted expenditure sheets, reports our correspondent there.

The JSD president, who won the Kushtia-2 seat on the AL-led grand alliance ticket, has sought two to three more days for submission, said sources close to the returning officer.

Earlier, the EC had announced that it would take legal action against those who would not submit their statements within January31.

The defaulters may face up to seven years in prison or fine as the failure to submit returns constitutes a criminal offence, said EC sources.

Our Sylhet correspondent reports: Twenty out of 32 parliamentary candidates in the district have submitted expenses returns.

BNP stalwart and former finance minister M Saifur Rahman is among those who have not.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who defeated Saifur in the race for Sylhet-1, has showed the higlrestTk 14,33,412 as election expenditure.

In his statement, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said his spending on the December 29 election stands at Tk 13,77,495.

Only 16 of 28 candidates in six constituencies of Rajshahi district have declared their election expenses, reports our Rajshahi correspondent.

Mizanur Rahman Minu, BNP candidate for Rajshahi-2, said he spentTk 11 lakh, while his opponent Fazle Hossain Badsha of Workers Party claimed to have spen t no t over Tk 7.25 lakh.

Our Barisal correspondent reports that 22 of 38 candidates have submitted election statements before the end of time limit.

Manirul Islam Moni, AL lawmaker from Barisal-2, spent thehighestTk 11 lakh.

Only six of 21 candidates in Nilphamari district have submitted polls expenditure by January 31, while the rest submitted theirs yesterday, reports our Nilphamari correspondent

Election office sources said none of the candidates has tagged income tax returns and VAT receipts with the statement.

According to reports, 16 out of 27 polls runners in seven constituencies of Bogra and 15 of 18 in five constituencies of NetYdkona 'suVmftted- -their returns oh the last day?

In Khulna, six of 32 candidates in six constituencies have yet to submit their expense reports.