A total of 92.83 per cent of the Awami League candidates contesting in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election are millionaires. The average annual income of 265 candidates of the ruling party is Tk 21.4 million (Tk 2 crore 14 lakh). The average value of their assets totals over Tk 285 million (Tk 28.5 crore). And 170 of the party candidates (64.15 per cent) are businesspersons by profession.
Speaking at the press briefing, SHUJAN secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said, there’s a magic wand linked to power. From the year 2008 it was seen that in the competitive elections, there was less disparity in wealth among the contestants. This gap widens in the case of one-sided elections. The reason behind this is that no matter whichever candidate you may field, winning is ensured.