Three of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) star candidates are set to fund their election campaigns primarily through public contributions, signalling a shift towards crowd-funded politics.
According to affidavits submitted to the Election Commission, they plan to solicit funds from supporters, relatives and well-wishers.
Among the five star candidates of NPC, Nahid Islam, Akhtar Hossain, Hasnat Abdullah, intend to cover nearly all campaign expenses through public donations, while Sarjis Alam will use a mix of personal funds and contributions from family and friends. Abdul Hannan Masud will rely entirely on his own resources, though his total expenditure remains the lowest.
Nahid Islam, NCP convener contesting in Dhaka-11 (Bhatara–Badda–Rampura–Banshree), plans to spend up to Tk 45 lakh, contributing only Tk 1 lakh from his own pocket.
Akhtar Hossain, NCP secretary and lawyer contesting in Rangpur-4 (Pirgacha–Kaunia), will raise the largest crowd-funded amount. He plans to spend Tk 50 lakh in total, of which just Tk 1 lakh is his own.
Hasnat Abdullah, southern regional coordinator, contesting in Cumilla-4 (Debidwar), will contribute Tk 10.57 lakh from his own funds and raise Tk 30 lakh through public contributions.
Sarjis Alam, northern regional coordinator contesting in Panchagarh-1 (Sadar–Tetulia–Atwari), will provide Tk 5 lakh personally and secure the remaining Tk 1.3 crore from relatives, friends and well-wishers, including his uncle, maternal uncle, father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Hannan Masud, senior joint coordinator contesting in Noakhali-6 (Hatia), will spend Tk 12 lakh entirely from his own funds. His affidavit does not list any other sources of campaign financing.
This trend reflects a growing reliance on public contributions for campaign financing among NCP candidates. The party has maintained transparency by detailing all contributions in legally mandated affidavits.
