Top aspirants are businessmen

S M Mizanur Rahman/CM Kajawl :
Six top mayor candidates of bifurcated Dhaka north and south and Chittagong city corporations backed by two major political parties — Awami League and BNP — are businessmen in profession, according to their affidavits submitted to the Election Commission.
Interestingly, in the affidavits, they have shown most of their assets in the name of their wives, sons and daughters. Apart from this, all of them have big amount of loans in different commercial banks.
Dhaka south city mayoral aspirant Sayeed Khokon mentioned in his statement that he has insurance, hotel, trading and export-import businesses while BNP backed candidate Mirza Abbas has share in capital market and in insurance business.
Dhaka north city BNP-backed mayoral aspirant Abdul Awal Mintoo is the owner of 14 companies while AL backed businessman Annisul Huq is the owner of 22 companies.
Chittagong City Corporation AL-backed mayoral candidate AJM Nasir is a businessman. He has a real estate company, sweater factory, besides fishing, ghat leasing out and oil transport businesses while BNP-backed candidate Manjur Alam in his statement said that he is chairman, managing director and director of 12 business establishments.
Manjur’s business establishments include Golden Iron Wax Limited, Alhaj Mostafa Hakim Housing and Real Estate Limited, Alhaj Mostafa Hakim Cement Industry Limited, Eagle Star Textile Mills Limited, Mutual Jute Spinners Limited and Standard Bank Limited.
According to the wealth statements, Sayeed Khokon has lesser wealth than his rival Mirza Abbas.
A graduate, Sayeed Khokon owns Sayeed Khokon Properties Limited, Indo JSA Match Industries Limited, a Three Star Hotel and Plaza Limited, M/SS and S Corporation and Dhaka Traders.
BNP-backed candidate Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed is also a graduate and he has the owner of Mirza Enterprise. Besides, he has shares in the capital market and savings certificate.
Dhaka north city AL-backed mayoral aspirant Annisul Huq has 22 business establishments, including Mohammadi Group Ltd and Mohammadi Fashion Sweaters Ltd.
BNP-backed candidate Abdul Awal Mintoo owns 14 business establishments, including Lal Teer Seed Ltd, Multimode Transport Consultant Ltd and Pragati Life Insurance Ltd.
 Mirza Abbas and Abdul Awal Mintoo are facing 37 and 13 cases respectively ahead of Dhaka City Corporation elections.
Mirza Abbas, the Standing Committee member of BNP, in the statement mentioned about 61 cases against him in the affidavit. Of the cases, 37 were filed during the tenure of the present government, while the other 24 cases were filed during the period of the previous tenure. He was exempted from the pervious 24 charges, but the other 37 cases are still active.
Abdul Awal Mintoo is implicated in 13 cases, of which 11 cases were filed in the last two years. He claimed that the cases were filed against him out of political reasons.
However, there is no case against Awami league-backed candidates Sayeed Khokon and Annisul Huq, who are contesting for the mayoral posts in DSCC and DNCC respectively.
Though Sayeed Khokon was involved in five cases earlier under explosive and corruption prevention acts, he has exonerated from the charges.
Regarding the participation of candidates who are involved in different cases, Election Commissioner Mohammad Shahnewaz said everything is described in the law and the EC will follow the law in this regard.
“The criteria for the candidates and the way to contest in the polls all are described in the law and we just follow it,” he told the journalists at his Agargaon office on Tuesday.
Nobody would be spared in case of any violation of electoral laws, he said. “If anyone breaches the Code of Conduct and it comes to the EC’s notice, EC would take due action against them,” Shahnewaz said.
Police should not take permission from the Election Commission (EC) if they need to arrest any possible candidate of the city corporation elections, he said
“If anyone is involved in any crime, he will face the trial. If police require to arrest anyone, they cannot do it following the existing law. They don’t need to take permission from EC,” he added.
Bdnews adds: Mirza Abbas’s annual income from rent is Tk 10.58 million, from shares Tk 62.72 million and other sources Tk 174,250. He has Tk 5 million in cash, Tk 1.62 million in the bank and bonds valued at Tk 350.68 million and Tk 424.84 million.
 Abbas has fixed deposit amounting to Tk 106.56 million, car valued at Tk 9.75 million, gold worth Tk 200,000, electronics Tk 1 million, furniture Tk 700,000 and other assets worth Tk 9 million.
 His immovable assets include non-arable land valued at Tk 18.48 million and two houses worth nearly Tk 30 million. He also received Tk 40 million as booking money for land.
He has debts amounting to Tk 755.63 million.
 Mohammad Sayeed Khokon is the organising secretary of Dhaka city Awami Leagues and his annual income from his businesses is Tk 832,630 and director’s remuneration is Tk 108,000. His earnings from rent is Tk 3.23 million.
 He has Tk 11.05 million in cash, Tk 43,476 in banks, share investments valued at Tk 177.19 million, car valued at Tk 3.8 million, furniture, electronics, gifts and business capital valued at Tk 3.4 million.
 His Immovable property includes non-arable land valued at Tk 230,000, and his residential and business buildings and ancestral home is valued at Tk 268.95 million.
 Khokon owes the bank Tk 192.78 million.