With polling now over and counting in progress, fresh attention has turned to the financial disclosures of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, whose affidavit details his declared income, savings, assets and campaign expenditure.
According to documents filed with the Election Commission, Rahman reported an annual income of Tk 6.76 lakh (approx. Rs 5.07 lakh), entirely generated from returns on shares, bonds and bank deposit schemes.
The filing shows Rahman maintains Tk 1.23 crore (approx. Rs 92.25 lakh) in various bank accounts. Of that amount, Tk 31.6 lakh (approx. Rs 23.7 lakh) is kept in cash or current savings, while the remaining sum is held in fixed or savings deposits. A portion of these deposits is listed under the name of his daughter, Zaima Rahman, as per a report on Daily Star.
His wife, Zubaida Rahman, disclosed annual earnings of Tk 35.6 lakh (approx. Rs 26.7 lakh) in her most recent tax return, though the source of income was not specified. Her declared bank deposits total Tk 1 crore (approx. Rs 75 lakh), including Tk 66.5 lakh (approx. Rs 49.9 lakh) in current savings.
Rahman also reported investments in shares worth Tk 68.5 lakh (approx. Rs 51.4 lakh). His movable assets include furniture valued at less than Tk 2 lakh (approx. Rs 1.5 lakh) and gold estimated at Tk 2,950 (approx. Rs 2,200).
The affidavit lists more than two acres of land in Bogura purchased for Tk 3.45 lakh (approx. Rs 2.6 lakh). He also inherited small land parcels in Gazipur and Cox’s Bazar from his late brother Arafat Rahman Koko.
Dr. Zubaida jointly owns 111.25 decimals of land along with an 800-square-foot duplex property. Current market valuations were not disclosed.
Rahman had indicated plans to allocate Tk 30 lakh (approx. Rs 22.5 lakh) for campaigning in Bogura-6, drawing from deposits and agricultural income. He also contested Dhaka-17.
The National Board of Revenue categorises Rahman as a “large taxpayer.” He paid slightly over Tk 1 lakh (approx. Rs 75,000) in taxes last year, while his wife paid Tk 5.6 lakh (approx. Rs 4.2 lakh).
As counting continues, observers note that his declared annual income of Tk 6.75 lakh (approx. Rs 5 lakh) is significantly lower than his proposed campaign expenditure — a contrast that had drawn scrutiny during the campaign.
