Rafiqul Islam (Jessore politician)

Rafiqul Islam was involved in the politics of the Chhatra League when he was a student. He fought in the war of liberation in 1971. Although he was nominated by the Awami League in the second parliamentary elections of 1979, he was defeated.^[1][2]

He was elected a member of parliament for the first time from Jessore-2 constituency on the nomination of Awami League in the 5th parliamentary election, in 1991.^[3] He was also elected a member of parliament from the same constituency on the nomination of Awami League in the 7th parliamentary election of June 1996.^[3] He served as the minister of state for power, energy and mineral resources in the first Sheikh Hasina cabinet.^{[citation needed]}

He was defeated by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in the 8th national election, in 2001. In the 10th national parliamentary election, in 2014, he stood as an independent, but was defeated.^[4]