Awami League's Narayanganj mayor runner Ivy has more income, BNP nominee more assets

The ruling party mayoral candidate in Narayanganj City elections, Selina Hayat Ivy, has more earnings but less than half the assets than her rival BNP candidate Sakhawat Hossain Khan.

According to the affidavits they submitted to the presiding officer on Thursday, the incumbent mayor now earns Tk 1.1 million annually compared with her rival candidate Sakhawat’s Tk 529,000. Sakhawat is a practising lawyer in Narayanganj District Judge’s Court.

The elections will be held on Dec 22.

In total, Ivy has a little over Tk 4.2 million in cash, bank deposits, gold ornaments, electronics, furniture and family loans.

Besides these, she also owns one-eighth of a jointly owned 112-decimal non-arable land.

When she fought the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) polls five years ago, her total annual income was around Tk 1.65 million. She had Tk 1 million in bank and golden ornaments worth Tk 30,000 at that time.

She now earns over Tk 1.1 million annually as mayor.

Sakhawat has said in the affidavit that her wife and he have movable and immovable assets worth over Tk 9.7 million.

The lawyer receives bank interests of Tk 3,801 on an annual income of Tk 529,000.

His assets, including cash, vehicles, gold ornaments, electronics, furniture and business capital are worth around Tk 6.3 million. His wife has assets of over Tk 1.7 million.

The couple owns land worth around Tk 1.7 million in Narayanganj.

Ivy, a vice-president of Narayanganj District Awami League, has no case against her.

Sakhawat, who came to the limelight for representing a plaintiff in court in the sensational seven-murder case, was accused in four cases.

He was acquitted in two of these cases. The trial of another one is under way while the investigation in other has not finished yet.

Fifty years old Ivy has two children. She holds MBBS and MD degrees and mentioned doctor as profession in the affidavit. Her computer programmer husband Kazi Ahsan Hayat is working in New Zealand.

Daughter of former Narayanganj municipality chairman Ali Ahmed Chunka, Ivy went to New Zealand in 1995.

She returned home and took the helm of the Awami League in Narayanganj during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government. She became the first female mayor of Bangladesh by defeating the BNP-Jamaat-backed candidate in Narayanganj municipality polls.

She won the election again in 2011 after Narayanganj was upgraded to a city corporation. She defeated AKM Shamim Osman, a local Awami League heavyweight who enjoyed support from local and central leaders.

According to Sakhawat's affidavit, he has BA and LLB degrees.

A vice president of the BNP's Narayanganj district unit, the 46-year-old is a former president of Narayanganj District Bar Council.