Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Nitai Roy Chowdhury, a prominent Hindu minority figure and veteran politician, was sworn in as a minister on Tuesday as Bangladesh’s new government took office.His induction into the 50-member cabinet marks an important moment for minority representation in the BNP-led government.The oath-taking ceremony was held at the South Square of the National Building, where President Sahabuddin swore in Prime Minister Tariq Rahman and his cabinet members. BNP leader Rahman was sworn in earlier in the day, officially beginning the party’s return to power after nearly two decades.The BNP received a decisive mandate in the recent general election, the first national polls to be held since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down in 2024. The party won 209 seats, while its allies gained three more, giving the alliance a clear majority in the 300-member parliament.Rehman is the son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Zia Rehman, becoming the first democratically elected male prime minister of Bangladesh in 35 years. He returned to his homeland after 17 years in exile and led the BNP to victory. The new cabinet consists of 25 ministers, 24 state ministers and 3 technocrats.According to Prosamalo, senior leaders including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Hasrul Mahmood Chaudhry, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood (Photo Gallery) and Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (retd) were also sworn in as members of the cabinet. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the ceremony on behalf of India and expressed his engagement with the new government.
Who is Nitai Roy Chowdhury?
Nitai Roy Chowdhury is a veteran Bangladeshi politician and lawyer who has played an active role in national politics for decades. He was born on January 7, 1949 in Khatbaria village of Mohammadpur in Magura district and completed his education at Alokdia Pukhuria High School and Government College Magura before graduating from Dhaka University. He later entered the legal profession.Chaudhry started his political journey in the Chhatra League during his student days. According to tritiyomatra.com, in the fourth National Assembly elections in 1988, he was elected as a member of the Magura-2 constituency on the Jatiya Party ticket. During this period he served as Chairman of the Magura District Council at the ministerial level and later as Minister of State for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. He also served as Minister of Youth and Sports from September 9, 1990 to December 6, 1990.After the collapse of King Ershad’s government, Chaudhry joined the BNP and gradually rose through the ranks of the party. He served as vice-president of the BNP and was regarded as a senior adviser and strategist to the party’s top leadership. He is also a member of the BNP’s Supreme Decision-Making Standing Committee.According to BSS, in the 13th Lok Sabha election, Chaudhry was elected from Magura-2 constituency with 1,47,896 votes, defeating Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh candidate Mustashid Billah who got 1,17,018 votes. The results were declared by Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Akhtar Ahmed at the Result Collection and Dissemination Center in Agargaon.Chaudhry was one of four minority community candidates, including two Hindu leaders, to win the election, the other being Goyeshwar Chandra Roy who won from the Dhaka seat. Bangladesh has a population of nearly 170 million, of which Hindus account for about 8%.His inclusion in the new cabinet is seen as part of the BNP government’s engagement with minority communities at the start of its five-year term.
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