In the forthcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has nominated six candidates in Noakhali, five of whom are businessmen by profession. An examination of their submitted affidavits reveals that all six candidates are millionaires, underscoring the significant personal wealth of the party’s contenders in the district.
Among them, Mohammad Fakhrul Islam, contesting from Noakhali-5 (covering Companiganj and Kabirhat), possesses the highest declared assets. Conversely, Mohammad Mahbuber Rahman, the candidate for Noakhali-6 (Hatia), has declared the least wealth.
An analysis of their election expenditure plans shows that Fakhrul Islam intends to spend the most—50 lakh BDT—from his business earnings. The lowest proposed spending comes from Barkat Ullah, the Noakhali-3 (Begumganj) candidate, who plans to allocate 15 lakh BDT from his combined business and agricultural income.
Of the six BNP candidates, only A M Mahbub Uddin of Noakhali-1 (Chatkhil and part of Sonaimuri) is a lawyer by profession; the rest have declared “business” as their occupation. Legal records indicate that Fakhrul Islam faces the highest number of cases—46 in total—while Mahbuber Rahman has three cases against him. Notably, Shahjahan, BNP’s vice-chairman and candidate for Noakhali-4 (Sadar and Subarnachar), faces no legal cases.
Under Bangladesh’s election laws, nomination papers must include affidavits detailing ten categories of information, including profession, income sources, educational qualifications, legal records, and assets of the candidate and dependents. Affidavit submission has been mandatory since the 2008 ninth parliamentary election to provide voters with transparency and enable informed decision-making.
The candidates for Noakhali’s six constituencies are:
| Constituency | Candidate | Profession | Annual Income (BDT) | Cash (BDT) | Movable Assets (BDT) | Immovable Assets (BDT) | Liabilities (BDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noakhali-1 | A M Mahbub Uddin | Lawyer | — | 1.03 crore | 2.33 crore | 5.15 crore | 0.88 crore |
| Noakhali-2 | Zainul Abdin | Business | 28,44,372 | 13.54 lakh + 41.23 lakh (wife) | 15.27 crore + 4.18 crore (wife) | 4.8 lakh + 7.28 lakh (wife) | 11.76 crore |
| Noakhali-3 | Barkat Ullah | Business | — | 4.85 crore + 1.72 crore (wife) | 5.30 crore + 2.14 crore (wife) | 65.70 lakh + 12.62 lakh (wife) | — |
| Noakhali-4 | Shahjahan | Business | — | 17.89 lakh + 12.30 lakh (wife) | 2.28 crore + 1.81 crore (wife) | 17.75 lakh + 1.93 crore (wife) | — |
| Noakhali-5 | Mohammad Fakhrul Islam | Business | — | 1.99 crore + 1.75 crore (wife) | 10.77 crore + 6.40 crore (wife) | 8.48 crore + 0.24 crore (wife) | 2.71 crore + 0.57 crore advance from land sales |
| Noakhali-6 | Mohammad Mahbuber Rahman | Business | 24,10,796 | 11.65 lakh + 4,188 (wife) | 0.77 crore + 1.56 crore (wife) | 21.96 lakh + 96.78 lakh (wife) | — |
Income tax payments for the fiscal year 2025–26 vary among candidates, with Fakhrul Islam paying 6,51,808 BDT, Barkat Ullah 5,32,963 BDT, Zainul Abdin 3,31,093 BDT, Shahjahan 4,923 BDT, and Mahbuber Rahman 2,25,183 BDT.
The wealth and expenditure plans of BNP candidates in Noakhali highlight a strong presence of affluent business personalities, indicating that financial resources are likely to play a decisive role in the upcoming election.