Business owners constitute over half of the incoming parliament members, based on disclosures submitted to the Election Commission during the recent election. A total of 178 legislators listed “business” as their occupation in the filings. With the exception of two individuals who did not disclose their earnings, the average yearly income for these lawmakers stands at Tk 1 crore.
The second most represented group in parliament is lawyers, with 40 individuals elected. Their average annual income is reported at Tk 26.8 lakh. Additionally, 14 lawmakers self-identified as farmers or engaged in agricultural activities, with an average yearly income of Tk 11.7 lakh.
Among farmers, Md Golam Rabbani from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Rangpur-5 constituency has the lowest reported income at Tk 40,000 per year. Despite this, he and his wife possess significant movable assets valued at Tk 22.9 lakh and Tk 16.5 lakh, respectively.
Furthermore, 28 teachers secured parliamentary seats, with the majority hailing from Jamaat. Only nine individuals specifically labeled themselves as politicians, including prominent figures from BNP and Jamaat.
Notably, there are 10 doctors among the newly elected lawmakers, with the highest earner being Md Moselehuddin Farid from Jamaat. On average, doctor-lawmakers earn Tk 18 lakh annually.
The parliament composition also includes retired professionals, private sector employees, and scientists. The lawmaker with the highest reported income is BNP’s Zakaria Taher from Cumilla-8, earning an impressive Tk 59.1 crore annually and owning movable assets worth Tk 172.3 crore.
While Zakaria holds the top spot, the second-highest earner is BNP’s Mirza Abbas from Dhaka-8, with an annual income of Tk 9.26 crore. Additionally, BNP’s Md Jalal Uddin from Chandpur-2 boasts the second-highest value of immovable assets, which have appreciated from Tk 55.2 crore to Tk 220.7 crore.
Conversely, the lawmaker with the lowest reported income is BNP’s Md Shahjahan from Noakhali-4, earning Tk 32,822 annually from share investments. Despite this, Shahjahan and his wife possess substantial cash reserves, bank deposits, and investments in various securities and properties.
BNP lawmaker Naser Rahman from Moulvibazaar-3 holds the title for the highest immovable assets, valued at Tk 56.6 crore. Notably, all of the top 20 lawmakers with the highest movable and immovable assets belong to the BNP party.
Independent lawmakers, on average, report the highest annual income at Tk 37.5 lakh. Comparatively, BNP lawmakers average Tk 20.9 lakh in annual earnings, while Jamaat lawmakers average Tk 5.9 lakh. The lone representative from Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Oli Ullah from Barguna-1, declares total assets valued at Tk 1 crore.
Among representatives from the National Citizen Party, Dhaka-11’s Nahid Islam leads in income with Tk 16 lakh generated from consultancies, while Kurigram-2’s Atikur Rahman Mojahid reports the lowest income and assets at Tk 7.32 lakh.