Three Women Enter Politics Following Father’s Footsteps, Appointed Minister and State Minister

In a historic first, three women have been sworn in as ministers and state ministers in the newly formed cabinet, each following the political footsteps of their fathers. All three were elected to parliament for the first time and have now assumed positions within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government.

On Tuesday afternoon, following the swearing-in of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman as Prime Minister, 25 ministers and 24 state ministers took their oaths. Among the 50-member cabinet, these three women are the only female members. Afroza Khanam was sworn in as a full minister, while Shama Obaid Islam and Farzana Sharmin assumed the roles of state ministers.

Profiles of the Three Women

Afroza Khanam, aged 63, secured a landmark victory in Manikganj-3 (Sadar and Saturia), receiving 167,345 votes. She becomes the first woman to be elected from this constituency since Bangladesh’s independence. Khanam has previously served as the chief election coordinator for her father, Harunar Rashid Khan, who was a four-time MP and minister. She had also contested the 2008 national elections but was unsuccessful. Currently, she chairs Munna Group of Industries and is a mother of three.

Shama Obaid Islam, 52, won the Faridpur-2 seat with 121,994 votes. Entering politics after the death of her father, former BNP minister KM Obaidur Rahman, she also holds a significant position within BNP as organisational secretary. A business leader as Managing Director of Elior Builders Limited, she is a mother of two.

Farzana Sharmin, 41, represents Natore-1, becoming the only woman elected from the northern region on behalf of the BNP. A practising lawyer at the Bangladesh Supreme Court with a postgraduate degree in law from Dhaka University, she follows in the footsteps of her late father, Fazlur Rahman (Patol), a three-time MP and former state minister. She has two children.

This remarkable trio not only strengthens female representation in the cabinet but also underscores the continued legacy of political dynasties in Bangladesh, where the torch of public service is passing from one generation to the next.