Janatar Dal chairman and Brig Gen (retd) Md Shamim Kamal is contesting the upcoming national parliamentary election from the Lalmonirhat-2 constituency, with his election affidavit showing that the value of his gold and loans far exceeds his cash holdings.
The affidavit submitted to the Election Commission shows that Shamim Kamal currently has Tk9,59,456 in cash, while his wife and daughter also hold limited cash and bank deposits, alongside family investments in the stock market.
For transportation, he owns one truck and two private cars, while another private car is registered in his wife’s name, according to the affidavit.
In terms of gold assets, Shamim Kamal has 15 bhori of gold in his own name, while his wife and daughter together own another 40 bhori, bringing the family’s total gold holdings to 55 bhori.
The affidavit further shows that he has investments worth Tk2,18,66,000 abroad, particularly in South Sudan and Uganda, while an equivalent amount of money has been extended as loans to various individuals.
The volume of these loans is significantly higher than the family’s combined cash and bank deposits, the affidavit data indicate.
Although highly educated and holding an MPhil degree, Shamim Kamal owns a large amount of agricultural land in his own name and in his wife’s name, but no income from agriculture has been declared in the affidavit.
His main sources of income include shop and house rent, business activities and pension received from the army, while a portion of the annual income from businesses run by his wife and daughter is also added to the family fund.
Kamal, who is son of Mojibur Rahman, a seven-time Jatiya Party MP from Lalmonirhat-2 and he has entered politics this time aiming to reclaim his father’s lost seat.
As chairman of the newly formed political party Janatar Dal, he is contesting the election with the ‘Pen’ symbol, and among candidates in Lalmonirhat’s three parliamentary constituencies, he is the only one who holds the top leadership position of a political party.
