Shahjahan Chowdhury

Shahjahan Chowdhury
শাহজাহান চৌধুরী
Member of Parliament
Assumed office
17 February 2026
Preceded byShahin Akhtar
ConstituencyCox's Bazar-4
In office
1 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Preceded byMohammad Ali
Succeeded byAbdur Rahman Bodi
ConstituencyCox's Bazar-4
In office
27 February 1991 – 15 February 1996
Preceded byAbdul Gani
Succeeded byMohammad Ali
ConstituencyCox's Bazar-4
Personal details
Born
PartyBangladesh Nationalist Party
Other political
affiliations
National Democratic Party
Alma materUniversity of Chittagong
Chittagong College

Shahjahan Chowdhury (Bengali: শাহজাহান চৌধুরী) is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and the current Member of Parliament for Cox's Bazar-4.

Early life and family

Shahjahan was born on 31 December 1952 in the village of Rajapalong in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar subdivision, then part of the Chittagong district of East Bengal, Pakistan. He belongs to a landed Bengali family of Muslim Chowdhuries with strong political roots. His father, Abul Kashem Chowdhury, served as chairman of the undivided Rajapalong Union Council. His grandfather Maqbul Ahmad Chowdhury served as president of the undivided Rajapalong Union Board and is the namesake of the Middle Rajapalong Maqbul Ahmad Chy Model Noorani Academy and Ibtedayi Madrasa. Shahjahan's brother Advocate A. K. Muhammad Shahjalal Chowdhury was chairman of the Ukhia Subdistrict Council from 2009 to 2013 and a four-time president of the Cox's Bazar Lawyers' Society.[1] His other brother, Alhaj A. K. Muhammad Shahkamal Chowdhury, was a four-time chairman of the Rajapalong Union Council and founder of the Abul Kashem Noorjahan Chowdhury High School, while his youngest brother Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury was chairman of the Ukhia Subdistrict Council in 2014.[2][3][1]

Chowdhury completed his initial studies locally in Ukhia before completing his Intermediate of Arts from the Chittagong College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in sociology from the University of Chittagong in 1975. [2]

Career

Chowdhury was elected to parliament from Cox's Bazar-4 as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate in 2001.[4] Smuggling is a well known problem in the constituency, which encompasses Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas, both of which border Myanmar.[5] Chowdhury is said to have been supported by "the man allegedly leading smuggling operations in Teknaf".[6] He contested the seat again in 2018, but was defeated by Shahin Akhtar, the Awami League candidate.[7] He is the president of the Cox's Bazar unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "পূর্বতন পরিষদ চেয়ারম্যানগণ" (in Bengali).
  2. ^ a b রাজাপালং চৌধুরী বাড়ী: উখিয়ার উজ্জল অধ্যায় (in Bengali)
  3. ^ "প্রতিষ্ঠাতার বাণী" (in Bengali).
  4. ^ "Parliament Election Result of 1991, 1996, 2001 Bangladesh Election Information and Statistics". Vote Monitor Networks. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b Aziz, Abdul (31 October 2018). "Cox's Bazar 4 constituency: Surplus of AL candidates against lone BNP candidate". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  6. ^ Lintner, Bertil (2015). Great Game East: India, China, and the Struggle for Asia's Most Volatile Frontier. Yale University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-300-21332-4.
  7. ^ "Bodi's wife Shahin Akhter wins Cox's Bazar-4 seat". bdnews24.com. 31 December 2018.