‘Whom do you actually serve?’
We've seen that the [Election] Commission stopped disclosing wealth statements of candidates since the Dhaka City Corporation polls (held in 2020). A similar situation was observed in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls.
The Election Commission (EC) is "depriving voters from their rights" by not disclosing wealth information of candidates, claimed Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar.
"We've seen that the [Election] Commission stopped disclosing wealth statements of candidates since the Dhaka City Corporation polls (held in 2020). A similar situation was observed in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls," he said.
Wealth disclosure can help a voter make informed choice when electing candidates, he said.
"The EC is a constitutional organisation. It is a free organisation. We want to ask the Election Commission whose interest is it serving?" he asked.
Shujan Treasurer Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed said the rights organisation has observed over the past five years that wealth statements of public representatives have swelled four to five times.
"How is this possible? Information regarding this can help voters to choose the right candidate," he said.
They said this at a virtual press conference, centred on disclosing information of candidates for the Narayanganj City Corporation election and demanding free and fair polls.
According to Shujan, seven people are vying in the mayoral race, with 148 running for councillor posts and 34 in reserved seats.
Of them, 120 candidates have either passed SSC or failed to complete school education. Of the seven mayoral candidates, two are entrepreneurs, one lawyer, one physician and two are service holders. The other candidate didn't disclose his occupation.
Of them, three candidates are facing criminal cases, while 40 councillors are facing cases, eight of whom are facing charges in murder cases.
NCC's running mayor and a candidate for the upcoming polls Selina Hayat Ivy, who declared her profession as doctor, has the highest annual income -- Tk 19.38 lakh, earned through mayorship. Fifty-eight candidates have wealth less than Tk five lakh while 14 candidates have wealth over Tk one crore.
Meanwhile, Shujon's Badiul Alam Majumdar said there's allegation of violating election's code of conduct by AL lawmaker Shamim Osman.
He said violating the election code of conduct is a punishable offence. "CEC Nurul Huda's comment in this regard is not clear to us," he said.
Huda on Wednesday said, "He [the lawmaker] violated the electoral code of conduct, but he did not flout it to such an extent which would warrant issuing a notice, handing out punishment or bringing him to book."
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