Most mayoral candidates businessmen

Majority of the mayor aspirants in the upcoming municipality polls are businessmen and over half of them have educational qualifications of HSC or below.

Many BNP-nominated candidates are facing different criminal cases, while most of the ruling Awami League-blessed aspirants had been accused of crimes in the past, and are now either acquitted or the cases have been withdrawn.

The information was found in their affidavits submitted to the returning officers.

The Daily Star randomly checked affidavits of around 60 mayor candidates nominated by the AL and the BNP.

Of the 60 aspirants, four claimed that they are literate, six could not complete school education (class-V, -VI, -VII, -VII, and -IX), 10 aspirants passed SSC and 17 passed HSC. The rest completed graduation and post-graduation.

Of them, over 40 mayor aspirants are businessmen and the rest 20 are farmers, fishermen, teachers and lawyers. At least four hopefuls did not mention any profession.

The last Dhaka south and north city corporation elections held in April also witnessed a dominance of businessmen. Around 67.2 percent councillor aspirants in Dhaka north and 71.28 percent in Dhaka south were businessmen, according to a report of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan), an organisation working on good governance.

The Daily Star also found that some BNP-blessed mayor candidates have criminal cases against them. However, some AL-backed hopefuls were also accused in criminal cases but they had either been acquitted or the cases had been withdrawn.

For instance, BNP-endorsed candidate Abdur Razzak Ashish, a mayor hopeful in Sherpur municipality, is accused in over a dozen cases.

BNP's AK Mostafa Salauzzaman Opel in Lalmonirhat's Patgram municipality is facing seven cases and his party mate SM Nazrul Islam in Barguna municipality is facing four.

Mayor aspirant from BNP, Firoz Ahmed, in Mymensingh's Ishwarganj municipality is facing two criminal cases and Shahidul Islam in Mymensingh's Muktagachha municipality facing six.

The situation is different in the case of AL's candidates. AL's Habibur Rahman in Mymensingh's Ishwarganj municipality was accused in 10 cases. Some of the cases were withdrawn and he was acquitted in others.

Shamsul Haque, an AL-backed candidate in Matiranga municipality of Khagrachhari, faced seven cases. But he has been acquitted in all.

It was also found that many mayor hopefuls provided information carelessly in their affidavits, which resulted in inconsistencies.

Mohidul Islam, a BNP-blessed candidate in Darshana municipality, claimed that he had 46 bighas of land. But according to his affidavit, he earns only Tk 1 lakh annually.

Abu Taher Fazle Rabbi, an AL-nominated candidate in Sonargoan municipality in Narayanganj, claimed that he is a lawyer but he did not mention how much he earns practicing law.

Rafiquddin Bhuiyan, an AL-blessed candidate in Mymensingh's Nandail municipality, mentioned that he owns 35 tolas of gold, which he astonishingly claimed to be worth just Tk 25,000.

Talking to The Daily Star, former Election Commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain said the returning officers should scrutinise the affidavits more carefully.

Elections to 234 municipalities will be held on December 30, marking the start of the country's first local government polls on party lines.