Overview Wealth Parties Demographics Professions Insights
13th National Parliament Election 2026

Money, Power & The Ballot

A deep dive into what candidate affidavits reveal about Bangladesh's democratic landscape—wealth, influence, and the faces behind the vote.

Explore the Data Key Insights
1,981 Candidates • 51 Political Parties • 891 Crorepatis • ৳6,188 Cr Declared Assets • 300 Parliamentary Seats •
1,981 Candidates • 51 Political Parties • 891 Crorepatis • ৳6,188 Cr Declared Assets • 300 Parliamentary Seats •
BY THE NUMBERS

Election at a Glance

0
Total Candidates
↑ Highest in 5 elections
0
Political Parties
↑ Up from 29 in 2024
0
Crorepati Candidates
Assets > ৳1 Crore
৳0Cr
Declared Movable Assets
≈ $515 Million USD

Candidates Across Elections

9th 2008 1,567
10th 2014 390*
11th 2018 1,861
12th 2024 1,979
13th 2026 1,981

*10th election: 153 seats were uncontested (no voting held)

THE WEALTH FACTOR

Following the Money

Top 5 Wealthiest Candidates

1
Md. Aminul Islam
Chapainawabganj-2 • BNP
৳619.90 Cr
2
Abdul Awal Mintu
Feni-3 • BNP
৳607.58 Cr
3
Md. Zakir Hossain Sarkar
Kushtia-3 • BNP
৳581.11 Cr
4
S.A.K. Ekramuzzaman
Brahmanbaria-1 • Independent
৳499.42 Cr
5
Md. Jashim Uddin Chowdhury
Comilla-4 • BNP
৳472.85 Cr

The Debt Dimension

৳18,868 Cr

Total declared debts & liabilities

Bank Loans 67%
Personal & Other Loans 33%

Crorepati Distribution

27
100+ Crore Club
560
1+ Crore (Movable)
587
1+ Crore (Immovable)
891
Total Crorepatis
PARTY LANDSCAPE

Political Players

Sheaf of Paddy

BNP

Sheaf of Paddy

288
Candidates
71.86%
Crorepatis
Scales of Justice

Jamaat-e-Islami

Scales of Justice

224
Candidates
19.85%
Crorepatis
Mosque

Islami Andolan

Mosque

253
Candidates
27
Crorepatis
Bicycle

Jatiya Party

Bicycle

192
Candidates
27
Crorepatis
✊

Gono Odhikar Parishad

People's Rights Council

90
Candidates
-
New Party
🌙

Communist Party

Sickle (Kaste)

65
Candidates
25%
With Debt
Shapla Koli

NCP

Shapla Koli (Water Lily)

32
Candidates
-
New Entry
🏠

AB Party

Amar Bangladesh

30
Candidates
-
New Party
👤

Independent

No Party Affiliation

249
Candidates
13%
of Total

Islamic Parties Surge

36.35%

Highest proportion in 5 elections

Previous: 29.66% (11th) • 9.50% (12th) • 1.10% (10th)

📊 Other Notable Parties & Their Symbols

🔥
42
Insaniyat Biplob
🔪
39
BSD (Kachi)
🌳
34
Khelafat Majlish
🏛️
34
Nat'l Civic Front
🪷
32
NCP (Shapla)
📋
+41
Other Parties

Common Election Symbols in Bangladesh:

🌾 Sheaf of Paddy ⚖️ Scales 🚲 Bicycle 🪷 Shapla (Water Lily) 🌳 Banyan Tree 🔨 Hammer 🔦 Torch ⚓ Anchor

Total 51 political parties participating • No single party fielded candidates in all 300 seats

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Who's Running?

👤 Age Distribution

51.8
Average Age
25-34 years 8.12%
35-44 years 17.85%
45-54 years 32.32%
55-64 years 24.37%
65+ years 17.35%
1,696 First-Time Candidates
85.6% of total field

🎓 Education Level

76.42%
Graduate or Higher
Postgraduate 47.98%
Graduate 28.37%
Higher Secondary 8.94%
Secondary 6.54%
Self-Educated 5.63%

⚠️ Gender Gap

4.02%
Women (80)
vs
95.98%
Men (1,901)

Below 5% target • Down from 5.15% in 12th election

💼 Profession Snapshot

🏢Business 48.48%
⚖️Legal 12.61%
🎓Education 11.56%
🏛️Govt Service 6.59%
View Full Breakdown
OCCUPATIONAL BREAKDOWN

What Do They Do?

A deep dive into the professional backgrounds of candidates contesting the 13th National Parliament Election

💼 Primary Professions of All Candidates

🏢
Business
960 48.48%
⚖️
Legal Professionals
250 12.61%
🎓
Education
229 11.56%
📋
Others
178 8.97%
🏛️
Government Service
131 6.59%
🌾
Agriculture
99 5.02%
🏥
Medical
54 2.75%
👔
Retired Officials
49 2.46%
🗳️
Politics
31 1.56%

Bar widths are scaled for visual clarity. Actual percentages shown on right.

🏢

Business Dominates

Nearly half are businesspeople

48.48%

However, this is the lowest since the 9th election (2008), down from 57.67% in the 12th election.

⚖️🎓

Legal & Education

Combined strength

24.17%

Lawyers and teachers together form nearly a quarter of all candidates — the highest ratio in 5 elections.

🤔

The Irony

Professional politicians

1.56%

Only 31 candidates list "Politics" as their primary profession — in an election for political office!

📈 Business Candidates Across Elections

9th 47.84%
10th 62.30%
11th 53.42%
12th 57.67%
13th 48.48%
Diversifying Field: Business candidates dropped ~9% from last election, while legal & education professionals increased.
KEY INSIGHTS

What Does It Mean?

⚖️ Legal Entanglements

530
Ongoing Cases
22.63%
740
Past Cases
31.64%

Common charges include assault, public disturbance, fraud, and intimidation.

💰 Campaign Spending

৳463.7 Cr
Total Declared Expenditure
Average per Candidate ৳22.5 Lakh
BNP Total ৳119.5 Cr
Jamaat Total ৳80.6 Cr

🌍 International Dimensions

21
Former Dual Citizens
31
Foreign Income
25
Foreign Assets
17
Property Abroad

TIB found at least 2 candidates failed to disclose British citizenship

📋 Tax Compliance

Have TIN Certificate 97.25%
Filed Tax Returns 70.18%
Declared Taxable Income 63.45%
Total Tax Paid: ৳54.68 Cr
Against ৳693.06 Cr taxable income

TIB Recommendations

1

Implement rigorous verification mechanisms for affidavit information by the Election Commission

2

Mandate cross-verification between EC, Anti-Corruption Commission, and National Board of Revenue

3

Publish affidavit data in accessible, machine-readable formats for public scrutiny

4

Take swift action against candidates providing false or incomplete information