ANWAR ALI, Rajshahi

Awami League’s mayoral candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton emerged as the highest-earning contestant among the three mayoral contenders for the Rajshahi City Corporation polls, with his annual income increasing by over Tk 6 crore in five years.

However, an analysis of the candidates’ affidavits submitted to the Election Commission revealed that the two other highest-earning contestants -- Md Rajab Ali and Md Shahadat Ali Shahu -- surpassed Liton in accumulating wealth from 2018-2023.

Dilip Kumar Sarkar, central coordinator of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), presented the analysis report during a press conference held at a city hotel yesterday.

Liton, the incumbent mayor, declared an annual income of Tk 6.081 crore and amassed wealth worth Tk 7,90,44,089 (since 2018). In 2018, his annual income was Tk 78,32,208.

On the other hand, Shahadat Ali Shahu, an incumbent councillor candidate, with an annual income of Tk 1,18,28,699, accumulated the highest wealth worth Tk 8,64,26,412 within this time.

Meanwhile, Md Rajab Ali, another incumbent councillor candidate, had the second-highest annual income of Tk 4,00,67,745 among the candidates and amassed a wealth worth Tk 8,53,04,298.

The analysis noted that in the 2018 election, none of the candidates, including Liton, Shahu, and Rajab, had an annual income exceeding Tk 1 crore.

Among the other mayoral candidates, Murshid Alam from Islami Andolon Bangladesh earned Tk 12 lakh annually, which is almost 66 times less than Liton’s income. Saiful Islam Swapan from Jatiya Party earned Tk 4.30 lakh, and Latif Anwar from Jaker Party earned Tk 1.52 lakh annually.

The analysis also listed several councillor candidates with six-digit incomes, including Akteruzaman, Jane Alam Khan, and Shariful Islam Babu.

For the women’s reserved seats, the highest-earning councillor candidates are Shamsunnahar, Bilkis Banu, Ferdousi, Sirin Ara Khatun, and Mamtaz Mahal.

The list of wealthy councillor candidates extended further, with names like Abu Bakkar Kinu, Abbas Ali Sardar, and Nazma Khatun.

Out of the total 162 candidates running for mayor and 40 councillor positions, the analysis found that 124 had an annual income of less than Tk 5 lakh. While this represents a slight decrease compared to the 2018 election, where the ratio was 82.02 percent, it still indicates a significant presence of low-income candidates in the upcoming election.

The analysis also noted an increasing trend of candidates with financial resources participating in the elections, which raises concerns about the influence of money in the democratic process.

However, the report highlighted that the process of declaring wealth is flawed, and the candidates’ actual wealth is likely to be much higher than what is shown in their affidavits.

Additionally, the analysis revealed an increase in the percentage of candidates burdened with debts.

Liton, the mayoral candidate, had liabilities amounting to Tk 20.80 lakh, and several councillor candidates, including those for women’s reserved seats, had liabilities exceeding Tk 1 crore.

In terms of criminal records, the number of candidates with pending cases has decreased compared to the previous election. Currently, 27 percent of the candidates have criminal cases against them, down from 31 percent in 2018.

At least 44 out of 162 candidates in the Rajshahi City Corporation polls have criminal cases against them. It is worth noting that only Liton, among the four mayoral candidates, had criminal cases in the past, which were subsequently withdrawn by the state.