Most Reserved Women MPs Are Wealthy, Highly Educated: TIB

An analysis of election affidavits for reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament shows that a large majority of nominated candidates are both highly educated and financially well-off, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

The study reviewed data from 49 candidates submitted to the Election Commission. It found that about 65 percent of the candidates are millionaires, while more than 63 percent hold postgraduate or higher academic qualifications.

Overall, including both directly elected and reserved seat members, just over half of parliamentarians have postgraduate-level education or higher. Among reserved seat candidates, 27 percent are graduates, 4.1 percent have higher secondary education, another 4.1 percent are self-educated, and 2.1 percent have secondary-level education.

The findings also show a strong concentration of wealth among candidates. Out of 49 nominees, 32 are classified as multi-millionaires based on combined movable and immovable assets. This includes 25 candidates with significant movable assets and 14 with high-value immovable property.

Party-wise breakdown shows that 72.22 percent of BNP candidates and 56 percent of Jamaat-e-Islami candidates in reserved seats are multimillionaires. The lone candidate from JAGPA also falls into this category.

Candidates with an annual income above Tk 10 lakh account for nearly 39 percent of the group, while among directly elected MPs this figure is significantly higher.

Across the full parliament, including all members, about 77.3 percent are identified as multimillionaires.

In terms of assets, the combined immovable wealth of reserved seat multimillionaire candidates totals around Tk 66 crore, while movable assets stand at approximately Tk 78 crore, bringing total declared wealth to about Tk 152 crore.

The analysis also highlights cases of high-value personal assets, including at least three candidates owning more than 100 bhori of gold, with one reporting 502 bhori in her name alone.

At the same time, 20.41 percent of candidates reported debts or financial liabilities. The rate is similar among BNP and Jamaat candidates, both at 22.22 percent.

TIB noted that in several cases, women candidates declared higher asset ownership than their spouses, a pattern that raises broader questions in the local socio-economic context.

While the inclusion of highly educated women professionals in reserved seats is seen as a positive development, TIB warned that wealth concentration and occupational dominance are also evident, which may have long-term implications for political representation.