26 Chattogram candidates rely on loans and donations, despite being millionaires

Affidavits submitted to the Election Commission show that 26 of the 33 candidates contesting in 16 parliamentary constituencies in Chattogram will finance their election campaigns through loans or donations.

Notably, many of them are millionaires, yet have declared reliance on financial support from close family members including spouses, children, siblings and in-laws as well as political supporters.

These disclosures have raised questions about transparency in electoral spending and future accountability.

The most notable example is BNP candidate Aslam Chowdhury in Chattogram-4 (Sitakunda). His declared assets total Tk457 crore, yet he plans to borrow Tk5 lakh from his wife, Jamila Nazneel Mawla, and accept a Tk2 lakh donation from his daughter, Mehrin Anhar Uzma.

Similarly, AKM Fazlul Haque, one of Jamaat's wealthiest candidates in Chattogram-9 (Kotwali-Baklia), owns assets worth nearly Tk8 crore but will borrow Tk20 lakh from his wife, Amena Shaheen, to cover election expenses.

BNP candidates also rely on family support

BNP candidate Nurul Amin in Chattogram-1 (Mirsharai), with assets of Tk1.49 crore, will borrow Tk20 lakh from his brother-in-law, Soheb Sarwar. Chattogram-6 (Rauzan) candidate Gias Uddin Kader Chowdhury, whose assets total Tk26 crore, will receive Tk25 lakh as a donation from relatives to fund his campaign.

Chattogram-7 (Rangunia) candidate Humam Kader Chowdhury, with assets of Tk81.9 lakh, will receive a total of Tk30 lakh from his mother, brother, and wife. Chattogram-8 (Boalkhali-Chandgaon) candidate Ershad Ullah, whose assets total Tk24 crore, will receive Tk5 lakh from his wife.

Chattogram-11 (Bandar-Patenga) BNP candidate Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, with assets of Tk15 crore, will borrow Tk10 lakh from his wife, Tahera Alam. Chattogram-13 (Anwara) candidate Sarwar Jamal Nizam, with assets of Tk6.4 crore, will receive Tk9 lakh from his wife and two sons.

Chattogram-15 (Satkania-Lohagara) candidate Nazmul Mostofa Amin, with assets of Tk3 crore, will receive Tk35 lakh from his wife and son. Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) candidate Mishkatul Islam, whose assets total Tk13.5 crore, will receive Tk15 lakh from his wife, Anila Islam Chowdhury.

Jamaat and allied candidates fully dependent on loans/donations

The trend is even more pronounced among Jamaat candidates. Chattogram-1 candidate Mohammad Saifur Rahman, with assets of Tk 51.7 lakh, will collect Tk 14 lakh from his brother, brother-in-law, and supporters. Chattogram-2 candidate Mohammad Nurul Amin, with assets of Tk27.5 lakh, will receive Tk 22 lakh from his wife, daughter, and three supporters.

Chattogram-3 candidate Muhammad Alauddin Sikder, with assets of Tk1.66 crore, will contribute Tk5 lakh from his own funds and obtain the remaining Tk 19 lakh from his brother, brother-in-law, and supporters. Chattogram-4 candidate Anwar Siddique, with assets of Tk 43 lakh, will raise Tk20 lakh from his brother, father-in-law, and supporters.

In Chattogram-5, Khelafat Majlis candidate Md. Nasir Uddin, with assets of Tk 85.95 lakh, will borrow from his cousin and take donations from a relative. Chattogram-6 candidate Shahjahan Manju will receive Tk 25 lakh from his brother and supporters.

Chattogram-7 candidate ATM Rezaul Karim, with assets of Tk4.7 crore, will receive Tk20 lakh as a donation. Chattogram-8 candidate Abu Naser, with assets of Tk 2.59 crore, will get Tk 7 lakh from his brother and relatives. Chattogram-10 candidate Shamsuzzaman Helali will raise Tk33 lakh from his wife, brother, brother-in-law, and supporters.

Chattogram-11 candidate Shafiul Alam will obtain Tk 39 lakh from his brother, mother-in-law, and supporters. Chattogram-13 candidate Mahmudul Hasan will receive Tk10 lakh from his brother and relatives. Chattogram-14 candidate Omar Faruk of the LDP (Jamaat alliance) will receive Tk5 lakh from his wife. His assets total Tk3.38 crore. Chattogram-15 candidate Shahjahan Chowdhury will get Tk40 lakh, while Chattogram-16 candidate Mohammad Zahirul Islam will receive Tk25 lakh.

Only seven candidates funding campaigns from personal resources

Affidavit analysis shows that only seven candidates, mostly from BNP, plan to finance their campaigns entirely from personal savings, business income, or professional earnings. They are: Saeed Al Noman (Chattogram-10), Sarwar Alomgir (Chattogram-2), Mostofa Kamal Pasha (Chattogram-3), Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin (Chattogram-5), Golam Akbar Khondkar (Chattogram-6), Abu Sufian (Chattogram-9), and Jasim Uddin Ahmed (Chattogram-14).

Experts raise concerns over transparency

Analysts say that while several candidates are extremely wealthy, reliance on loans and donations introduces potential risks of opacity in campaign financing. This could also have implications for accountability and influence over policy decisions after elections.