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Published : 07 Feb 2026, 04:07 PM
Civil society platform Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) has said that nearly half of the 2,026 candidates in the upcoming national election have left their nominations “incomplete” by failing to submit copies of their income tax returns.
The analysis shows that out of 1,319 who handed in tax returns, BNP tops the list with 167 debt-laden contenders, representing 32.17 percent of all borrowers.
These findings were presented on Saturday during a press conference titled “Presentation of Information on Contesting Candidates” at the Jahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club.
Dilip Kumar Sarkar, SHUJAN central coordinator, said: “Among the 2,026 candidates, 519 are loan defaulters, representing 25.62 percent. Of these, 75 candidates hold loans exceeding Tk 50 million.”
He noted that the share of debt-holding hopefuls has dipped slightly from 22.83 percent in the last election to 20.93 percent this year.
Analysis by the group shows that nearly 41 percent of candidates -- totaling 832 people -- earn less than Tk 500,000 annually. Conversely, 95 candidates report earnings of over Tk 10 million.
Dilip said the BNP holds the highest number of tax-paying candidates among political parties, followed by Jamaat-e-Islami and independent contenders.
Also, 132 nominees shared just their Tax ID documents, skipping the actual tax statements.
Among the 1,319 tax-filing candidates, 479 -- 36.32 percent -- paid Tk 5,000 or less, 358 paid over Tk 100,000 (27.14 percent), and 116 paid more than Tk 1 million (5.72 percent), he added.
Income ranges for candidates vary widely: 741 candidates earn between Tk 500,000 and Tk 2.5 million; 132 earn Tk 2.5–5 million; 71 earn Tk 5–10 million, while 155 did not disclose their earnings.
As per SHUJAN, the BNP leads in high-income contenders, with 51 earning over Tk 10 million, followed by 25 independents and five from the Jatiya Party.
Top earners include Zakaria Taher of Cumilla-8 of the BNP with an annual income of around Tk 600 million, Asadul Islam of Tangail-1 (independent) with around Tk 400 million, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Zakir Hossain Patwary of Lakshmipur-1 with nearly Tk 190 million.
Other high earners include Mirza Abbas of Dhaka-8 (BNP) and independent candidate Salauddin Alamgir, along with several BNP and independent candidates earning between Tk 40 million and Tk 65 million annually.
