Dhaka city and district: 13 of Jamaat’s 17 candidates millionaires

Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded candidates in 17 of the 20 parliamentary constituencies in the Dhaka district and city area for the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) elections. Of these 17 candidates, 13 are millionaires. That means, the combined value of each of their movable and immovable assets amounts to at least Tk 10 million (1 crore) or more.

The candidate with the highest amount of assets (both movable and immovable) is the party’s nominee in the Dhaka-7 constituency (Chakbazar, Bangshal and parts of Old Dhaka), Md Enayat Ullah. The total value of his assets is approximately Tk 1.16 billion (116 crore). He also carries substantial liabilities, amounting to around Tk 830 million (83 crore).

Among the Jamaat candidates in Dhaka, the lowest annual income is reported by Md Saiful Alam, the candidate for Dhaka-12 (Tejgaon industrial area, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and parts of Ramna). His annual income is slightly over Tk 100,000 (around Tk 8,500 per month).

The candidate with the lowest declared assets is Md Afzal Hossain, who will contest from Dhaka-19 (Savar, Ashulia and surrounding areas). His assets are valued at Tk 1.939 million (19,39,000).

In his affidavit, Afzal Hossain, however, did neither mention the value of 52 decimals of agricultural land inherited from his family, nor 24 decimals of land he received as heba (gift), along with a house built on that land.

In the 13th parliamentary election, Jamaat relinquished three of the 20 seats in Dhaka district and city area as part of electoral seat-sharing arrangements.

Two of the seats, Dhaka-8 and Dhaka-11, have been allocated to the National Citizen Party (NCP), with Nasiruddin Patwari contesting in Dhaka-8 and Nahid Islam in Dhaka-11.

Another seat, Dhaka-13, has been allocated to Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, with Mamunul Haque as its candidate.

As part of the electoral understanding, discussions are ongoing about Jamaat potentially giving up additional seats in Dhaka. If this occurs, Jamaat candidates in the relevant constituencies may withdraw their nomination papers.

Since 2008, candidates contesting parliamentary elections are required to submit affidavits. These include information on age, educational qualifications, profession, income and assets.

The purpose is to provide voters with the opportunity to learn more about the candidates and to make informed voting decisions.

An analysis of the affidavits shows that Jamaat-e-Islami’s ameer Shafiqur Rahman is contesting from Dhaka-15. His assets are valued at approximately Tk 15 million (1.5 crore).

Other millionaire candidates include Mohammad Nazrul Islam in Dhaka-1, Md Abdul Haque in Dhaka-2 (whose nomination was cancelled at scrutiny stage, though he has the option to appeal), Md Shahinur Islam in Dhaka-3, Syed Zainul Abedin in Dhaka-4, Md Enayat Ullah in Dhaka-7, Kabir Ahmed in Dhaka-9, Jasim Uddin Sarker in Dhaka-10, Md Saiful Alam in Dhaka-12, Mir Ahmad bin Qasem (Arman) in Dhaka-14, Md Abdul Baten in Dhaka-16, SM Khaliduzzaman in Dhaka-17, and Muhammad Ashraful Haque in Dhaka-18.

Among Jamaat’s Dhaka candidates, Mohammad Kamal Hossain in Dhaka-5, Md Abdul Mannan in Dhaka-6, Md Afzal Hossain in Dhaka-19, and Md Abdur Rauf in Dhaka-20 have assets valued at less than Tk 10 million (1 crore).

According to the affidavits, Enayat Ullah has the highest annual income among Jamaat candidates. He earns Tk 68,635,000 per year. He is a businessman and was elected director (Association Group) of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) for the 2023–25 term with the highest number of votes.

Enayat Ullah previously served as president of the Moulvibazar Traders Association in Old Dhaka and is currently president of the Bangladesh Wholesale Spice Traders Association.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Enayat Ullah said that both his assets and liabilities are business-related. When goods arrive, liabilities increase; when they are sold, they decrease. This, he said, is normal in business.

He added that if elected, he would prioritise stopping terrorism, extortion and drug abuse. He further said that he has no personal demands or interests, wishing only to work for the people.

Enayat Ullah, one of the founding directors of Al-Arafah Islami Bank, owns three firearms.

The second-highest earner is SM Khaliduzzaman (Dhaka-17), with an annual income of approximately Tk 36,400,000. Kabir Ahmed earns around Tk 3.8 million (38 lakh) annually, Syed Zainul Abedin about Tk 2.5 million (25 lakh), Muhammad Ashraful Haque Tk 2.3 million (23 lakh), Jasim Uddin Sarker 2.1 million (Tk 21 lakh), Abdul Baten Tk 1.6 million (16 lakh) and Mir Ahmad bin Quasem approximately Tk 1.1 million (11 lakh). The remaining candidates earn less than Tk 800,000 per year.

Although Nazrul Islam, candidate for Dhaka-1, mentioned land sales as a source of income, he did not specify the amount. However, in his income tax return for the 2025–26 tax year, he declared an income of Tk 6 million (60 lakh).

Kamal Hossain of Dhaka-5 too left the income source section blank in his affidavit, but declared Tk 546,000 as income in his tax return for the same tax year.

In terms of movable assets, Enayat Ullah again tops the list, with assets worth over Tk 920 million (922,377,000 to be exact). This includes approximately Tk 772 million (772,300,000) in bonds, debentures and shares, and over Tk 70 million in savings certificates and fixed deposits.

Second on the list is SM Khaliduzzaman, with movable assets worth around Tk 48.2 million, including Tk 22.5 million in bonds, debentures and shares, and nearly Tk 13.7 million in savings certificates and fixed deposits.

Two candidates have movable assets exceeding Tk 20 million, while five have assets worth more than Tk 10 million.

The lowest movable assets are reported by Kamal Hossain, at Tk 339,000.

Mir Ahmad bin Quasem holds the highest amount of cash, Tk 11.37 million, among Jamaat candidates. He is followed by Jasim Uddin Sarker with approximately Tk 9.98 million, and SM Khaliduzzaman with Tk 6.82 million. The least amount of cash is held by Mohammad Kamal Hossain, at Tk 3,980.

The largest bank and financial institution deposits also belong to Enayat Ullah, amounting to Tk 71.1 million. Syed Zainul Abedin follows with Tk 5.83 million. Muhammad Ashraful Haque has the lowest amount of bank deposit at Tk 11,225.

Enayat Ullah also holds the highest value of immovable assets, worth Tk 237.2 million. Abdul Baten ranks second with assets valued at Tk 21.5 million. Third is SM Khaliduzzaman, who declared a house in Dhaka worth Tk 20.6 million, as well as 124.89 decimals of agricultural land in Khulna, though the land’s value was not specified.

Nazrul Islam reported the lowest amount of immovable assets, declaring non-agricultural land valued at Tk 500,000.

Jasim Uddin Sarker inherited a total of 240 decimals of land in Muradnagar, Cumilla, according to his affidavit. Mir Ahmad bin Quasem did not provide any information on immovable assets.

Enayat Ullah and three other candidates disclosed liabilities in their affidavits. Among them, Syed Zainul Abedin has loans of just over Tk 5.33 million, Kabir Ahmed Tk 5.2 million, and Shahinur Islam Tk 500,000.

Combined movable and immovable assets are highest for Abdul Baten’s wife, amounting to Tk 24.5 million, while the lowest, Tk 180,000, belongs to the wife of Abdur Rauf.

According to affidavit data, Abdul Baten owns the largest quantity of gold and precious metal jewellery, with 50 bhori of gold. Md Shahinur Islam owns 30 bhori, while Mir Ahmad bin Quasem owns 20 bhori.

Md Abdul Haque’s wife owns 80 bhori of gold and precious metals, while Abdul Mannan’s wife owns 50 bhori of gold and 20 bhori of silver. Afzal Hossain’s wife owns 25 bhori of gold and precious metals, and Shahinur Islam’s wife owns 20 bhori.

Among the Jamaat’s candidates in Dhaka, five mentioned their profession as business. One describes himself as both a physician and a businessman. There are three lawyers and three teachers, two former army officers, one physician, one salaried employee and one retired employee.

Only one candidate, Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Dhaka-1, previously held dual citizenship with the United Kingdom. According to his affidavit, he relinquished this dual citizenship on 27 December last year.

In terms of educational qualifications, Md Abdul Mannan, the candidate for Dhaka-6 (Sutrapur, Wari, Gendaria and surrounding areas), is the most highly educated, holding a PhD.

Two candidates hold MBBS degrees: Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman and SM Khaliduzzaman (Dhaka-17). Enayat Ullah described himself as self-educated, while all others reported higher education credentials.

Under the Representation of the People Order (RPO), providing false information or concealing information in an affidavit can result in the cancellation of a candidate’s nomination.

Even after election, if discrepancies are proven through investigation, the election commission may declare that the candidature was unlawful and annul the election in the concerned constituency.