Dhaka: An analysis of the affidavits of candidates for the reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026 reveals that nearly two-thirds of the nominated candidates are highly educated and millionaires.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) presented this picture through an examination of the affidavit information of 49 nominated candidates submitted to the Election Commission.
The analysis highlights that around 65 percent of these nominees are millionaires, while more than 63 percent possess postgraduate or higher educational qualifications. Overall, including both directly elected and reserved women’s seat members, 52.63 percent hold postgraduate or higher degrees. Specifically, among the reserved women’s seat candidates, 27 percent are graduates, and a small fraction, 4.1 percent, have only passed higher secondary education. The self-educated candidates account for 4.1 percent, and secondary school graduates make up 2.1 percent.
A significant portion of candidates for reserved seats are wealthy. Out of the 49 candidates, 32 (65.31%) are multimillionaires based on the total value of their movable and immovable assets. Within this group, 25 are multimillionaires based on movable assets, and 14 based on immovable assets. The party-wise breakdown shows that among BNP’s 36 candidates, 26 (72.22%) are multimillionaires, while 5 out of 9 candidates (56%) from Jamaat-e-Islami are multimillionaires. Additionally, the sole candidate from JAGPA is also a multimillionaire. Candidates with an average annual income exceeding BDT 1 million make up 38.78 percent (19 people); this rate stands at 67.9 percent among directly elected general seat MPs. In the 13th Parliamentary Election, including both directly elected and reserved women’s seat members, the total number of multimillionaires is 269, which is 77.3 percent.
The analysis further examines the total assets of multimillionaire candidates in reserved seats, revealing that their total immovable assets exceeding one crore taka amount to BDT 66 crore, and total movable assets amount to BDT 78 crore. When combined, the total assets reach BDT 152 crore. Notably, at least three candidates for women’s reserved seats possess more than 100 bhori of gold ornaments, with one candidate alone owning 502 bhori.
Despite their wealth, the analysis also uncovers debt burdens among these candidates, with 20.41 percent facing some form of debt or liability. The rate of indebtedness is equal for BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates at 22.22 percent. Comparatively, directly elected MPs exhibit a 50.84 percent indebtedness rate, which is 2.49 times higher than that of reserved seat candidates.
The affidavit analysis indicates that among reserved women’s seat candidates, five have fewer buildings or flats than their husbands, seven possess less land, and 14 have fewer movable assets. Given that most women candidates for reserved seats own more assets than their husbands, this situation may warrant special attention within the demographic and asset context of Bangladesh.
TIB acknowledges the positive aspects of participation by highly educated women and professionals, including lawyers, in reserved women’s seats. However, it also notes the influence of wealth and the dominance of certain professions, which could have far-reaching implications.