AL candidates to fund themselves, BNP rely on family
AL candidates to fund themselves, BNP rely on family
Mohiuddin Alamgir
Awami League’s mayor candidates for Dhaka city polls will meet election campaign expenditures from their pocket, while BNP and other parties’ candidates said their families will bear a significant portion of the costs.
The information was found from candidates’ disclosure to the Election Commission on possible expenditure for carrying out electioneering.
Awami League candidates -- Atiqul Islam for DNCC and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh for DSCC -- and BNP candidates Tabith Awal for DNCC and Ishraque Hossain for DSCC -- all said they will spend Tk 50 lakh each during the election.
This year, EC said a mayor candidate will be able to spend Tk 50 lakh for polls expense, aside from Tk 2 lakh personal expenses and Tk 1 lakh for deposit.
EC sources said candidates are allowed to spend money for campaign activities like transportation cost, street rallies, election camps, publication of posters and others.
They will need to place details of their polls-time expenditures 30 days after the election, slated for February 1.
Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh in his disclosure to the EC said his possible expenditure in the electioneering would be Tk 53 lakh, all from his own pocket.
This includes printing of 4,00,000 posters at the cost of Tk 12 lakh, and 450,000 leaflets and 750,000 handbills at the cost of Tk 4.5 lakh. He also set Tk 7.5 lakh for 1,500 street rallies.
Ishraque Hossain said that he will take Tk 25 lakh loan from his mother to bear election expenses.
The expenses include printing of 3.5 lakh posters for Tk 6.50 lakh. He will spend Tk 3.50 lakh to run 20 election camps, Tk 3.30 lakh for digital banners, and Tk 3.35 lakh for 250 street meetings.
Among others, Jatiya Party candidate Saifuddin Ahmed Milon said he will spend Tk 10 lakh from his own pocket while Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Abdur Rahman said he will spent Tk 30 lakh, one-third of which will be loans.
There are 23.67 lakh voters in 75 wards and 1,124 polling centres in DSCC area.
In DNCC, AL candidate Atiqul Islam said he would spend Tk 3 lakh to print 3 lakh posters, Tk 3 lakh for loadspeakers, Tk 3.20 lakh for running 26 camps and Tk 1.75 lakh for holding 70 street meetings.
Meanwhile, his BNP counterpart Tabith Awal said that he would take Tk 5 lakh loan from his wife to bear the election expenses, while his mother will give him Tk 5 lakh as grant.
His budget includes Tk 8 lakh to print 5 lakh posters, Tk 3.50 lakh to run 27 election camps, and Tk 3.35 lakh to hold 200 street meetings.
There are 30.35 lakh voters in 54 wards and 1,349 polling centers in DSCC area.
Among others, Communist Party of Bangladesh candidate Sajudel Huq will spend Tk 12 lakh, which he will get from family and friends as well as from party fund. Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Sheikh Fazle Bari Masud said will spend Tk 4 lakh, of which Tk 80,000 will be from his pocket.
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