Awami League President Sheikh Hasina embarked on a new beginning on Thursday by introducing a batch of fresh faces with many old ones in her new cabinet, after coming to power for the fourth consecutive term following the huge victory in the 12th parliamentary elections held last Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina as the prime minister and 36 cabinet members, including 25 ministers and 11 state ministers, took oath in the evening. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban.
Despite the ongoing economic crisis, Sheikh Hasina has shown the dream of a rich future in the manifesto before the national polls. And now her new cabinet has hinted that major changes are coming in the country's economic management.
Many of the outgoing government’s veteran and senior ministers did not have a place in the new cabinet. Like last time, members of Sheikh Hasina's new cabinet are all from Awami League.
MINISTERS
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq started his political career in student life and became the member of the East Pakistan Chhatra League Central Executive Committee and co-general secretary. From 1973 to 1986, he was chairman of the Union Parishad 3 times. From 1989 to 2008, the served as municipal chairman and mayor. In 2008, he resigned from municipal mayor and was elected a member of the parliament from Gazipur-1 and served as the president of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Land. He served as the Minister of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry in the last cabinet.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has been the general secretary of Awami League since October 2016. He was elected MP for the first time from Noakhali-5 constituency in 1996 and was appointed as the state minister for youth, sports and cultural affairs. In 2011 he was appointed as the communication minister. He also continued as the communication minister during All Party Government from November 21, 2013 to January 12, 2014. He was elected MP again in 2014 and became communication minister again. He is serving as the minister of road transport and bridges till now.
Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, a former diplomat, served as the foreign minister for five years from 2014. He also served as the disaster management and relief in 2012 as well.
After the declaration of Bangladesh's independence, he served as the representative to the United Nations and later as the acting consul-general in New York City. He served, from 1977 to 1979, as first secretary, counsellor and deputy high commissioner in New Delhi, India. At the foreign ministry, from 1979 to 1982, he served as director-general for Administration, for International Organisations, for United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, for Policy Planning for South Asia, and for Human Rights. From 1983 to 1986, he was deputy chief of mission with the rank of ambassador, in Beijing, China. From 1986 to 1990, he was ambassador to Bhutan.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq served in the same portfolio in the last cabinet. He was first elected lawmaker from Brahmanbaria-4 constituency in 2014 and became law minister. In the 11th national election in 2018 he was elected again and reappointed as the law minister. He is the first person to serve as the law minister for three consecutive times. He became a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in 2010.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun served in the same portfolio in the last cabinet. He became MP for the first time in 1986 and then in 2008. He served as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defence in the 9th Parliament. He was elected as a MP on January 5, 2014. On December 30, 2018, he was elected again as MP and became minister in 2019.
Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was elected MP in 2008 and then in 2014. In 2014, he was appointed state minister for the Ministry of Home Affairs. He became full minister in 2015 and since then had the same portfolio for two terms. He was elected as MP for the fourth time in 2024.
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Md Tajul Islam served in the same portfolio in the last cabinet. He was elected MP from the Cumilla-9 constituency in 1996, 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2024. As a parliamentarian, he has served in the standing committees of home, planning and finance ministries as a member and worked as chairman of the standing committee on power and energy from 2014 to 2018.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan served as commerce minister from 2009 to 2011 and minister of civil aviation and tourism from 2011 to 2013. Lt Col (Retd) Faruk was elected lawmaker for five times in a row since the 7th parliamentary elections in 1996. He worked as a member of the parliamentary standing committees on government institutions affairs and youth and sports ministry. He served as the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on ministry of foreign affairs after the 11th parliament election.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hasan Mahmud served as the minister of information and broadcasting in the last cabinet. He also served as the minister of environment and forest ministry from 2009 to 2014. Previously, he was the state minister of foreign affairs in 2009. In 2008, he was elected as MP for the first time.
Social Welfare Minister Dipu Moni, representing Chandpur-3 constituency in parliament, served as the education minister in the last cabinet. She became the education minister in 2019. She also served as the foreign minister from 2009 to 2013. Currently, she is also a joint secretary of the ruling Awami League.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder served in the same portfolio since 2019. He has been the MP for Naogaon-1 constituency since 2008. In the 10th Parliament, he served as a member of the standing committee on the ministry of religious affairs and the standing committee on the ministry of housing and public works.
Planning Minister Abdus Salam, the president of Awami League unit in Mymensingh's Nandail upazila, had previously won in the national elections in 1996 and 2008. But his candidacy was scrapped before the 12th parliamentary elections due to debt irregularities. However, he ran the race by challenging the EC decision and winning at the higher court.
Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan served as the state minister for religious affairs in the last cabinet. He is representing Jamalpur-2 constituency for the fourth time. Faridul served as state minister since 2020. On Thursday, when the new cabinet took oath, he was show-caused by the Election Commission as he had openly cast his ballot in the January 7 election.
Housing and Public Works Minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury was once Sheikh Hasina’s private secretary. The freedom fighter has served as MP from Brahmanbaria-3 constituency for three times.
Land Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda got the office of state minister of fisheries and livestock in 2014 and he was made the minister of fisheries and livestock later in 2018. This MP has been elected from Khulna-5 for the fourth time in a row.
Textiles and Jute Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak has been brought back to the cabinet after his stint as the state minister for local government in 2009. Nanak was elected as MP for Dhaka-13 in 2008. He was elected unopposed from Dhaka-13 constituency in 2014 but was not given nomination in 2018. He is the former general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League and former chairman of Awami Jubo League.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdur Rahman, a former Chhatra League leader and an AL Presidium member, served as MP in two consecutive terms from 2008. He has a MSS and LLB from the University of Dhaka. He was general secretary of Chhatra League from 1986 to 1988.
Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid served as MP for sixth time already since 1991 and he was elected again in the 12th election. He was never made a minister before but he was the former chief whip of the ruling party in the 9th Parliament.
Science and Technology Minister Yafes Osman was sworn in 2009 as the state minister for the then ministry of science and information and communication technology for the first time. In 2014, he took charge as the state minister for science and technology for the second time. In 2015, he was appointed as the minister of science and technology (technocrat). He was re-appointed as the minister of science and technology for the third consecutive term in 2019.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Professor Samanta Lal Sen (technocrat) has become a familiar name in Bangladesh for his role as the coordinator of the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in treating the victims of arson attacks and major fire incidents. He is also the president of the Society of Plastic Surgeons of Bangladesh.
Railways Minister Zillul Hakim is a five-time MP from Rajbari-2 and the Rajbari District Awami League president. He is one of the new faces in the new cabinet.
Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain served as the state minister of the same portfolio in the last cabinet and now has been made full minister after he won for the third time in the 12th national election. He was elected MP from Meherpur-1 in the 10th and 11th national polls. He was a member of the parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry in the 10th Parliament and a member of the money laundering sub-committee of the finance ministry-related parliamentary standing committee.
Youth and Sports Minister Nazmul Hassan Papon is the son of late president Zillur Rahman and the managing director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals. He has been the MP of Kishoreganj-6 constituency since 2009. Nazmul was unanimously elected as the president of Bangladesh Cricket Board in October 2013 and still serving at the position.
The government brings back Saber Hossain Chowdhury in the cabinet as the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister. He was deputy minister of shipping in the Awami League government in 1996 and then the minister of LGRD. Saber, a businessman and a sports organiser, was appointed in October 2001 as political secretary to president of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. He also served as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board from 1996-2001.
The prime minister elevated young leader Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel to a full minister in the new cabinet as the Education Minister. He was elected MP for the first time in 2018 from Chittagong-9. He was then appointed as the deputy minister of education.
STATE MINISTERS
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Simeen Hussain Rimi, also a daughter of Bangladesh's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, had won the parliamentary polls from Gazipur-4 constituency for the fourth time. She is a member of the AL presidium.
Upon her younger brother Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj's resignation from his position as MP from the constituency, Rimi was elected with Awami League ticket in the by-election from Gazipur-4 in 2013. Later, she was elected in general elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024.
State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid became the Member of Parliament for Dhaka-3 in 2008, being re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2024 and serves as state minister of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
Nasrul has been selected as the State Minister to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources for the second time in the year 2019 and he has joined on January 7, 2019.
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak is serving as the member of parliament from Natore-3, Singra constituency elected by the public for the fourth time in a row. He was appointed as the State Minister for Information and Communication Technology in 2014, only at the age of 33. He is currently holding the same post.
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat is member of the central executive committee of Bangladesh Awami League. He is a Professor of Strategic Management and Policy at the Canadian University of Bangladesh and Chairman of Suchinta Foundation. Now, he is serving as lawmaker of Dhaka-17 constituency.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibbur Rahman is a politician from Patuakhali District of Bangladesh. He was elected a member of parliament from Patuakhali-4 in 2018 and 2024 Bangladeshi general election.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Member of Parliament representing the Dinajpur-2 constituency. He is the current State Minister of Shipping of Bangladesh. He is also the Organizational Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League.
State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk is the incumbent State Minister of Water Resources and Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Barisal-5 constituency since January 2019. He is a retired army officer. In 2018 he got the nomination of Bangladesh Awami League in the 11th National Parliament Election and elected Member of Parliament for the first time then he won also the 12th national polls in 2024.
State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Kujendra Lal Tripura is the incumbent member of parliament for Khagrachhari District. On 8 February 2018 he was made the chairman of the Taskforce on Rehabilitation of Returnee Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The post chairman which is the held power of The State Minister on that affair.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Rumana Ali is an academic, writer and politician from Gazipur and she is incumbent Member of Parliament from Gazipur- 3. Earlier, she was a member of the parliament for Reserved Women's Seat-14. She is former state minister Md Rahmat Ali's daughter.
State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury is the incumbent Member of Parliament of Sylhet-2. He is the incumbent president of and former general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, Sylhet District.
State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu currently is a newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Tangail-6. His father, Mokbul Hossain, was an active politician and Member of Parliament for the Awami League. He was former president of Dhaka Stock Exchange and also founder president of DSE Brokers Association of Bangladesh, He is chairman for City University trustee board.
