Sylhet AL mayoral candidate poorest among frontrunners, earns Tk2.96 lakh annually

Of the top three mayoral candidates in Sylhet, Jatiya Party (JaPa) nominated Nazrul Islam Babul tops in income and assets with Tk67.50 lakh as per the asset declarations submitted to the Election Commission (EC).

Oddly enough, the annual earning of ruling Awami League's Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury is lower than the Tk3 lakh tax-free income limit, Tk2.96 lakh to be exact. Meanwhile, Hafiz Maulana Mahmudul Hasan, the nominated candidate of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, has declared an annual income of Tk3.80 lakh.

Candidates have disclosed their wealth in their affidavits to the returning officer while submitting their nomination papers to the election commission.

In addition, they also disclosed their personal information, their income, source of income, movable and immovable assets, educational qualifications, lawsuits, debts and other information.

Welcoming the practice, Farooq Mahmud Chowdhury, Sylhet president of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) said the voters can get a clear idea about the candidates with this.

"However, the information should be checked for accuracy," he added.

Sylhet's current mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury is not contesting the polls as BNP has boycotted the elections.

Therefore, Awami League candidate Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury is expected to be in a somewhat advantageous position.

However, Nazrul Islam Babul and Mahmudul Hasan could give Anwaruzzaman a run for his money, locals think.

Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury

In the affidavit, Awami League nominated candidate Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury mentioned his profession as a businessman and declared an annual income of Tk 2.96 lakh.

Anwaruzzaman's movable assets include Tk41.85 lakh cash. Besides, he has two TVs, one refrigerator, two air conditioners and two sets of sofas, four beds, one table, 10 chairs and two cupboards.

His wife's movable assets include 47 bhori gold ornaments.

Anwaruzzaman's immovable assets include three bighas of agricultural land, 23 decimal non-agricultural land, a building and a house.

He has no liability or debt. There is no criminal case against him.

Anwaruzzaman, in his affidavit, stated that he has a BA (Honours) degree.

Nazrul Islam Babul

Jatiya Party's Nazrul Islam Babul is also a businessman by profession who disclosed an annual income of Tk67.50 lakh.

He is the managing director of Fiza & Company Limited and managing partner of Fiza Exim. He is also a stone importer and the publisher of Dainik Ekattorer Kotha.

Besides, Babul has movable assets worth Tk2.35 crore. This includes a BMW car, a Toyota Prado, four cargo vans, eight covered vans and a motorcycle.

His wife has movable assets of Tk 21.12 lakh.

His immovable assets include 135.78 decimal non-agricultural land, one flat and four paved and tin-shed houses.

Besides, he has a bank loan of Tk5.29 crore.

A case under the Digital Security Act is under investigation against Babul. He had three cases against him in the past but he was acquitted.

Babul referred to himself as "self-educated" in the affidavit.

Hafiz Maulana Mahmudul Hasan

Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mahmudul Hasan is also a businessman by profession with an annual income of Tk3.80 lakh.

Mahmudul Hasan has movable assets worth Tk5.60 lakh.

His wife's movable assets include 20 bhori gold ornaments.

His immovable assets include jointly owned shops and houses.

He has no liabilities or debts. There was a case against him in the past but he was acquitted.

Mahmudul Hasan has a law degree (LLB).

Final candidates

A total of 11 candidates submitted nomination papers for the post of mayor in the Sylhet elections.

However, the election commission announced the cancellation of the nomination papers of five.

Candidates whose nominations are valid are- Awami League's Md Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, Jatiya Party's Nazrul Islam Babul, Islami Andolan Bangladesh's Hafiz Maulana Mahmudul Hasan, Zaker Party candidate Md Zahirul Alam, independent candidates Mohammad Abdul Hanif Kutu and Md Shalah Uddin Rimon.