Tk10-20 Crore Needed to Run for Polls: Asif

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain.

A candidate now requires at least Tk10-20 crore to contest national elections in Bangladesh without risking the loss of their security deposit, said Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

Speaking at a roundtable titled "From November to July: From Revolution to Revolution" organised by Students Against Discrimination at the Jatiya Press Club on Thursday, he said the current political and economic environment has made elections prohibitively expensive.

"Under the present circumstances, only those with access to illicit funds or those backed by wealthy patrons can afford to compete," he said. "But those who take financial support are later compelled to serve the interests of their financiers. That raises the question — should we even contest elections under such a structure? And if we do, how do we approach it? Can votes be earned without money?"

He added that in the last five decades, no political party in Bangladesh has presented a fundamentally new political narrative. "We are still operating within the framework introduced by Ziaur Rahman. This is why the concept of Saarc remains relevant," he said.

Asif noted that the true process of state-building began after 1975, when the national outlook started to take shape. Recalling the events following 5 August 2024, he said political leaders quickly aligned themselves with the establishment. "The young generation had a role to play, but our proposals were sidelined," he said, adding that discussions for forming the interim government were eventually held at Bangabhaban instead of Dhaka University, as proposed by young activists.

Reflecting on the aftermath of last year's movement, he said the priorities should have been reform, justice and democratic transformation. "But some who once called for reform later abandoned that position," he remarked.

Writer and political analyst Farhad Mazhar also spoke at the event, saying, "The period between 5 and 8 August held the potential to reshape Bangladesh’s political path, but that opportunity was lost. The youth must acknowledge their share of responsibility."

He called for establishing public sovereignty through administrative decentralisation and reducing Dhaka-centric governance, emphasising the need for a participatory district-based political structure.