The afterglow of Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections dims under the shadow of crime: 43 victorious MPs stand accused of murder. Shujan, a key watchdog for good governance, exposed this through affidavit audits, fueling widespread media coverage in Dhaka.
Reports from The Daily Star indicate 42 cases predated the elections, with 12 MPs facing a mix of ongoing and resolved charges. This data spotlights entrenched criminality in politics.
BNP’s triumph comes with baggage—50.24% of its MPs have live cases. Jamaat-e-Islami follows at 47.07%. House-wide, 142 active cases, 185 past ones, and 95 overlapping accusations plague the assembly.
At a Dhaka seminar, Shujan coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar dissected these numbers, noting a clear uptick from the 12th term.
Educational profiles disappoint: eight PhDs, 138 masters, 93 bachelors, 20 HSC, 17 SSC. Business claims 182 (61.28%), dipping from 66.89% last time. Lawyers (36), educators (22), agriculturists (13), politicians (8), ex-servicemen (5), and miscellaneous (27) fill the gaps.
Property statements scream inequality: 271 over 1 crore taka, 187 beyond 5 crores. BNP’s 201/209 and Jamaat’s 52/68 exemplify this. With crorepatis at 55.63% of candidates winning disproportionately, the report warns of eroding representation for the less affluent.
Elections on February 12 were predominantly peaceful, marred only by sporadic unrest.