Digital Donations Drive Election Campaigns
Alongside traditional campaigning, digital platforms have emerged as a key conduit for raising campaign funds ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. A growing number of political leaders and candidates have already taken to Facebook to seek financial contributions to cover election expenses.
Among those who have publicly appealed for donations are Dr. Tasnim Jara from Dhaka-9, Dr. Tajnuba Jabin from Dhaka-17, Tarek Rahman from Dhaka-12, Dilshana Parul from Sirajganj-3, Abdul Hannan Masud from Noakhali-6, Emdadul Haque Millat from Mymensingh-4, and Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad from Barishal-3. To collect funds, all of them have relied on their personal social media handles, using mobile financial services (MFS) alongside conventional bank accounts.
Observations show that financial assistance received through MFS accounts has outpaced bank transfers. Not only are funds being raised swiftly through these platforms, but in several cases, contributions have reportedly exceeded the legally permitted campaign spending limits. Sector insiders believe this trend could mark a turning point in addressing the long-standing opacity surrounding election expenditures.
Most recently, Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad—general secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party and a candidate from Barishal-3 (Babuganj and Muladi)—disclosed details of the donations he received after appealing for funds in a video message on January 5. According to a post published on his Facebook page on the night of January 7 (Wednesday), he received nearly BDT 39,000 in donations within just 48 hours.
In his post, Fuad wrote: “Dear countrymen, the total number of voters in my constituency is approximately 332,101. According to Election Commission regulations, my spending limit is BDT 33,21,010—calculated at BDT 10 per voter. My page and ID administrators have informed me that as of January 7, 2026, the amounts deposited are: BDT 19,23,552 via bKash, BDT 2,35,056 via Nagad, and BDT 18,07,948 through banks. The total donations received stand at BDT 39,66,556.”
He expressed heartfelt gratitude to all donors at home and abroad, noting that he received thousands of calls and messages, many of which he could not respond to. “I sincerely regret that,” he said, adding that decisions regarding the excess donations would be taken in consultation with the Election Commission.
Fuad further stated that, in the interest of transparency, all documents related to donations would be audited and made public until election day, and subsequently submitted to the Election Commission. He also pledged full cooperation if the Election Commission or any other government financial regulatory body wished to conduct audits. “Shukriya,” he concluded.
Earlier, on December 23, Dr. Tasnim Jara—then senior joint member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a parliamentary candidate from Dhaka-9—became the first candidate to publicly seek donations. Within just seven hours, she reportedly raised BDT 1.2 million, drawing widespread attention. In only 29 hours, she received her full permissible campaign budget of BDT 4,693,580, after which she announced the suspension of further donations. She clearly stated at the time that no cash was accepted and that all funds were collected through fintech platforms.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tajnuba Jabin of Dhaka-17 mentioned in a Facebook post that she would return the donations she had received after resigning from the NCP, but did not disclose the amount. Similarly, Emdadul Haque Millat, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB)-nominated candidate who also sought donations via an MFS account, has yet to reveal how much he received. On the other hand, the 48-hour window for donation disclosures has not yet elapsed for Tarek Rahman of the Amjanata Party (Dhaka-12) and Abdul Hannan Masud of Noakhali-6.
DBTech/MUM/EK/OR
