# Aslam Chowdhury

Aslam Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi politician, accountant, industrialist and human rights activist. He is an advisor to the chairperson and a former joint secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Chowdhury has been a vocal critic of Sheikh Hasina's toppled regime. He is a parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Chittagong-4.

## Early life and education

Chowdhury was born to the modest family of Golam Hossain Chowdhury and Halima Khatun Chowdhury in Fauzdarhat, Chittagong. He completed his postgraduate education at the University of Chittagong. After passing the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, he began his career in the education cadre.
In 1996, Chowdhury left his teaching role after receiving a fellowship from ICAB and began working at Kabir Steel Mill in Chittagong. He later joined Confidence Cement, where he served as a financial manager and eventually became the Chief Financial Officer.
Chowdhury went on to establish Confidence Salt, which served as the cornerstone in the formation of Rising Group. His business ventures include the Confidence Salt Factory in Boalkhali, several CNG filling stations in Sitakunda, the Inani Resort in Harbang, Chakaria, and two fish preservation factories located in Nasirabad and Sagarika in Chittagong city.

## Political career

Chowdhury entered politics in 2001 when the four-party alliance came to power. In the 2008 parliamentary elections, he contested the constituency of Chittagong-4 as a candidate for Bangladesh Nationalist Party but was defeated.
In 2014, Chowdhury was appointed as the convener of the North District BNP. He later went on to become the joint secretary-general of the national committee.
In 2016, Chowdhury was arbitrarily arrested with 76 presumably false political cases, including allegations of being part of an Israeli plot to topple Hasina regime. These lawsuits were widely seen as baseless and politically motivated, and his arrest was condemned by human rights groups and activists around the world.
Chowdhury's arbitrary detention was marked by reports of mistreatment and abuse. He was denied bail on multiple occasions, despite his poor health and the lack of evidence against him.
In early 2024, Chowdhury was promoted from his long held position of joint-secretary to an adviser to the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Following the Student-People's uprising and the fall of dictator Sheikh Hasina, Chowdhury was released from prison on August 27, 2024, after eight years of unlawful imprisonment. His release was met with widespread celebration, with hundreds of activists gathering outside the Chittagong Central Jail to welcome him.

## Electoral history

General Election 2008: Chittagong-4 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | AL | ABM Abul Kashem | 136,298 | 54.4 | +18.5 |
| | BNP | Aslam Chowdhury | 112,930 | 45.0 | −18.8 |
| | CPB | Md. Macheuddulla | 850 | 0.3 | N/A |
| | National People's Party | Kazi Mohammal Eusuf Alam | 435 | 0.2 | N/A |
| | Independent | Sachindra Lal Dey | 213 | 0.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,368 | 9.3 | −18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 250,726 | 81.8 | +14.0 |
| | AL gain from BNP | AL gain from BNP | AL gain from BNP | AL gain from BNP | AL gain from BNP |