Election spending: Tarique to fund campaign from own money, most of Shafiqur’s from party

In the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to spend Tk 6 million across two constituencies, with the entire amount coming from his own income, mainly from agriculture and bank deposits.

By contrast, a large portion of Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman’s campaign expenditure will come from party funds. Meanwhile, Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), plans to rely primarily on public donations, funding his campaign largely through crowdfunding.

When submitting nomination papers to contest an election, candidates must also disclose the likely sources of funds for their campaign expenses. These disclosures detail how much money a candidate expects to receive from each source.

Alongside candidates’ affidavits, the election commission (EC) has published these funding-source statements on its website.

Election law sets a ceiling on how much a candidate can spend. Previously, the maximum limit was Tk 2.5 million, but this has now been revised upward. Under the current Representation of the People Order (RPO), a candidate may spend Tk 10 per voter in their constituency or Tk 2.5 million, whichever is higher.

As a result, candidates in this election may spend between Tk 2.5 million and Tk 8 million, depending on constituency size. An individual may contest from a maximum of three parliamentary seats.

In the coming election, Tarique Rahman has submitted nomination papers to contest Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17. According to EC sources, based on voter numbers, he will be allowed to spend slightly over Tk 3.3 million in Dhaka-17 and Tk 4.54 million in Bogura-6.

However, Tarique Rahman has declared a planned expenditure of Tk 3 million in each constituency, entirely from his own income. The total Tk 6 million is to come from agriculture and bank savings.

According to his affidavit, Tarique Rahman’s total movable and immovable assets are valued at around Tk 19.7 million. Of this, approximately Tk 19.3 million is in movable assets, including cash and bank deposits, shares, gold and other precious metals, and furniture.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has estimated his campaign expenditure at Tk 5.12 million, to be financed from business income, consultancy work, agricultural earnings, honouraria, and bank interest. Under the law, he is permitted to spend up to Tk 5.12 million in Thakurgaon-1.

A review of his affidavit shows that Mirza Fakhrul’s annual income from various sources is about Tk 1.28 million, while his total movable and immovable assets amount to Tk 15.28 million.

Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman is contesting from Dhaka-15 (parts of Mirpur and Kafrul). According to his affidavit, his total movable and immovable assets are worth around Tk 15 million, including about Tk 6.08 million in cash.

Based on voter numbers, he is allowed to spend Tk 3.5 million in his constituency. Shafiqur Rahman has listed two potential sources of campaign funds: Tk 1 million from his own cash and bank deposits, and Tk 3.5 million as donations from Jamaat-e-Islami. The party funds come from regular contributions by its members.

Jamaat secretary general Mia Golam Porwar is contesting from Khulna-5, where he is allowed to spend slightly over Tk 4 million. He has declared a planned expenditure of Tk 3 million, to be financed through his business income, donations from siblings, and party funds.

In his funding disclosure, Golam Porwar stated that he will spend Tk 200,000 from his own business income, receive Tk 500,000 as voluntary donations from three brothers and one sister, obtain Tk 800,000 from five non-relative volunteers, and receive Tk 1.5 million from party funds.

NCP convener Nahid Islam is contesting the 13th parliamentary election from Dhaka-11 (Khilgaon, Rampura, Badda, Bhatara, and parts of Hatirjheel). Based on voter numbers, he is allowed to spend around Tk 4.4 million.

Nahid Islam’s annual income is Tk 1.6 million. He owns no house or car and has no immovable property, though he has movable assets worth Tk 3 million.

He has identified two possible sources of campaign funds. The bulk of his expenses will be met through crowdfunding, with plans to raise Tk 4.4 million from the public nationwide, alongside Tk 0.1 million from his own income.

Like the party convener, NCP member secretary Akhter Hossen also plans to fund his campaign primarily through crowdfunding. He is contesting from Rangpur-4, where he is allowed to spend slightly over Tk 5.1 million. Akhter Hossen has declared planned expenditure of Tk 5 million.

According to his affidavit, Akhter Hossen earns Tk 505,000 annually from agriculture, business, and employment. For campaign funding, he has listed two sources: Tk 100,000 from his legal practice and Tk 4.9 million from crowdfunding.

After elections, candidates and political parties are required to submit accounts of their expenditures to the election commission. However, the EC has never audited these expenses. There is also no monitoring of how much candidates actually spend during campaigns.

There are widespread allegations that almost all candidates spend far more than the legally permitted limit. A study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on the 12th parliamentary election highlighted this issue.

The study examined 50 constituencies out of 300 and found that Awami League candidates spent nearly six times the EC-prescribed limit during the official campaign period. In the 11th parliamentary election in 2018, candidates spent about three times the permitted ceiling.

Last year, the electoral system reform commission recommended introducing audits of candidate and party election expenses and even suggested provisions for cancelling elections if discrepancies were found. However, these recommendations were not adopted.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, who was the chief of the electoral system reform commission, told Prothom Alo that the EC ignored several key reform proposals, including financial transparency in political parties and accountability to party workers. Proposals related to monitoring candidate and party campaign spending were also overlooked.

He further said election spending has reached “unimaginable levels” and stressed that to address this, the EC must place campaign expenditures of parties and candidates under strict oversight and properly scrutinise the accounts submitted after elections.