BNP aspirants find nomination costly

The ruling BNP aspirants to women's reserved seats are dissatisfied with the party nominations being expensive while Election Commission (EC) appears to be helpless to stop the overt sale of party tickets mainly due to legal limitations.

Many of the aspirants to the September 6 polls described the obligation for the nomination seekers to donate Tk 3 lakh to the party funds as discriminatory. They said the party in the last parliamentary elections did not force any candidate to donate such a big amount.

Besides, the process of seeking party nominations for the women's reserved seats is costlier compared to those of all previous parliamentary polls, they added.

The proceeds from the nomination process would add at least Tk 1.5 crore to the BNP coffers.

Referring to the elections to women's reserved seats in 1991, a former lawmaker, who was elected to women's seat in 1991, said the then ruling BNP did not ask them to donate any money to the party coffers. The cost of seeking nomination was Tk 12,000 while now it is Tk 30,000, an aspirant candidate told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.

One has to pay Tk 5,000 to have an application form and Tk 25,000 more while submitting to enter the race for 30 women seats allocated in favour of BNP.

"I will raise the issue in parliament to protest such discrimination if I am granted the party ticket," said an aspiring candidate, in an anger-choked voice.

Referring to making pledge to donate Tk 3 lakh to party funds [if selected], BNP Vice-President Sarwari Begum said it is not that everyone can afford to pay the amount, though her dedication to the party may be undisputed.

Loyalty and contribution to the organisation should be taken into account while giving nomination, she observed. The former state minister was talking to the journalists at the BNP office after collecting the application form Sunday.

Supreme Court lawyer Nurjahan Begum told The Daily Star, " If I'm given the nomination, I'll sell my lands in village home and arrange the donation money."

She said though she had bought the lands after selling the ornaments she got as wedding gifts, she would not hesitate to lose those, 'all for a chance to serve the people'.

Each of the 30 women, who will be selected to be on the BNP ticket, will have to donate Tk 3 lakh to the party funds on a promise that in black and white while drawing the application forms.

An MP from the reserved seats will be elected with the current parliament having only a year of its tenure left, and in that period, she would not earn even Tk 3 lakh in remuneration and other allowances.

"I think the party high command has set the amount, considering that everyone to be elected to reserved seats will import duty-free car. So, they should each make a handsome donation to the party funds," another aspirant told this correspondent.

A senior leader of the ruling BNP however said usually one has to count large sums of money in general election. But as the candidates for the reserved seats will not have to bear that cost, there's nothing wrong with them making some donations to the party coffer, he added.

"I have accepted the party decision as the proceeds will be spent in the interests of the party," Sabina Yasmin Chowdhury Bina told The Daily Star.

Talking to The Daily Star on the issue, a number of senior EC secretariat officials said the political parties are not accountable to the EC in this regard until they officially field a candidate.

The EC has nothing to do if any party openly takes money from the nomination seekers, they said referring to legal limitations of the commission.

Had the political parties been accountable to the EC through mandatory registration, the EC would have the authority to take measures in this regard, they observed.

"The election commission does not have any responsibility for matters outside the orbit of legal framework to conduct the polls," EC Secretary SM Zakaria told The Daily Star yesterday. "The commission has no relations with the aspirant candidates until they file their candidature with it."

The officials however said the electoral laws oblige the contenders to submit their sources of money for election expenditure in a week after filing the candidature. They also have to submit a report detailing their election expenses in 15 days after the election.

The donation to the party fund and cost of seeking party tickets will not be included in Tk 5 lakh, a ceiling set by the EC on election expenses.

Zakaria, also the returning officer for the elections to women's reserved seats, however told The Daily Star that the contenders have to furnish the commission with personal details in accordance with a High Court directive.

HIGHEST NOMINATION PROCEEDS
The BNP coffers would swell by at least Tk 1.5 crore in proceeds from the nomination process for the 30 reserved seats. The amount will be higher even than that during the last general elections.

Till yesterday, 218 application forms were sold and 31 submitted. The process will go on till August 18.

BNP will be allocated six more seats as the main opposition Awami League has decided not to accept the nine seats the EC has allocated to it. The fresh schedule for elections to those nine seats will be declared in 21 workdays after the election.

In 2001 parliamentary election, the BNP funds rose by about Tk 1.11 crore coming from the nomination process. A total of 2050 forms were sold for Tk 1,000 each and 910 submitted with Tk 10,000 each.

The BNP earned Tk 68 lakh from nominations in 1996 parliamentary elections. A total of 1700 forms were sold for Tk 500 each and 1000 were submitted with Tk 6000 each.

In 2001 and 1996 general elections, forms were sold against 300 constituencies while now they are being sold for only 30 reserved seats.