Dhaka, Feb 20 (NationPress) A total of 43 newly-elected Members of Parliament (MPs), who emerged victorious in the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh last week, are now confronted with murder charges under Section 302, as reported by local media citing data from a prominent civic organization in the country.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik, also referred to as Shujan, disclosed that 42 MPs had similar legal issues previously, and 12 are entangled in both past and current cases, according to a report from Bangladesh's Daily Star.

Among the major political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which achieved a significant victory in the elections, has the largest proportion of ongoing cases, accounting for 50.24 percent. The Jamaat-e-Islami, the second-largest party, follows closely with 47.07 percent.

The report indicated that a total of 142 MPs are currently facing legal charges, while 185 have faced charges in the past. Approximately 95 MPs have been involved in both past and current cases.

Analysis reveals a rise in legal entanglements among winners when compared to the 12th election. The analysis further notes that the proportion of highly educated individuals among the winners has diminished compared to the previous election. Out of the 297 elected MPs, only eight possess PhD degrees, while 138 have postgraduate degrees, and 93 are graduates. Additionally, 20 completed their Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), and 17 finished their Secondary School Certificate (SSC), as reported by the Daily Star.

The comprehensive data was shared with the media by Dilip Kumar Sarkar, Chief Coordinator of Shujan, during an event titled 'Analysis of the Affidavit Information of the Newly Elected Members of Parliament' held in Dhaka.

Sarkar pointed out that the February 12 election and referendum were largely peaceful, with only a few isolated incidents reported. Of the 297 constituencies, 79 candidates hailed from religious and ethnic minority communities, with four of them securing election victories. The most common profession among MPs is business, with 182 (or 61.28 percent) involved in this field, though this is a decrease from 66.89 percent in the previous election. Thirty-six MPs are lawyers, 22 are teachers, 13 are agriculturists, and eight identified politics as their profession. There are also five service holders and 27 from other professions, as reported by the leading Dhaka-based newspaper.

Referring to asset declarations, Sarkar revealed that 271 MPs have assets exceeding Tk 1 crore, while 187 possess assets surpassing Tk 5 crore.

Among the BNP's 209 MPs, 201 have assets exceeding Tk 1 crore, while 52 of Jamaat’s 68 MPs also exceed this threshold. The analysis indicates that candidates with greater wealth are more likely to achieve election success. Although 55.63 percent of candidates were millionaires, the percentage is higher among elected MPs, suggesting a decline in participation by less wealthy individuals, as reported by Daily Star.