SK Azizul Bari Helal

SK Azizul Bari Helal
এস কে আজিজুল বারী হেলাল
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament
for Khulna-4
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 February 2026
Preceded byAbdus Salam Murshedy
Personal details
PartyBangladesh Nationalist Party
EducationUniversity of Dhaka
OccupationPolitician

SK Azizul Bari Helal is a Bangladeshi politician who, in February 2026, became the member of parliament for Khulna-4. He is a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), having gotten his start in politics with their student wing, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD). He was the JCD's general secretary from 2003 to 2005 and president from 2005 to 2009.

While the BNP was out of government, Helal led anti-government protests. He was charged in over 100 cases of political violence. He was the BNP's candidate for the seat of Dhaka-18 in 2008 and for Khulna-4 in 2018.

Biography

Education

Helal was admitted to the University of Dhaka in 1985.[1] There he completed a bachelor's degree in soil science.[2]

Career

Helal was made general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in January 2003.[3] He became president of the JCD in January 2005.[1]

The 2006–2008 political crisis started under the caretaker government of Iajuddin Ahmed. He announced a general election for 22 January 2007. The BNP selected Helal as their candidate for Khulna-4.[4] The choice angered top leaders in the local BNP, who instead wanted Majedul Islam, the party's publication secretary.[5][6] The Awami League declared a boycott, the military stepped in, and the election was cancelled. During the crisis, Helal led protests that clashed with police and resulted in his arrest under emergency power rules.[7]

A new caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed called a general election for 29 December 2008. Helal was nominated as the BNP's candidate for Dhaka-18.[4] It was a new seat created when the Election Commission redrew constituency boundaries to reflect population changes revealed by the 2001 Bangladesh census. Helal came second, behind Awami League candidate Sahara Khatun, with 116,786 votes, 34.9% of those cast.[8] Nationally, the Awami League-led Grand Alliance won a commanding victory, and Sheikh Hasina formed a new government.[9]

Helal continued as president of the JCD until July 2009.[1][10] He continued to lead protests against the government and was arrested.[11] Charges ranged from obstructing police, subversion, and arson to attempted murder.[12][13] By January 2018, he was the information affairs secretary of the BNP.[14] In December there were more than 100 pending cases against him.[2]

The BNP selected Helal as their candidate for the Khulna-4 constituency in the 2018 general election.[2] He finished second behind incumbent Awami League member of parliament Abdus Salam Murshedy, receiving 14,187 votes, 5.8% of those cast.[15]

In April 2023, Helal was jailed in a sabotage case.[16] In November, he was convicted of having held an illegal rally in January 2015 and sentenced to six months in prison. The BNP's legal affairs secretary said the cases were politically motivated. He said, "BNP leaders and activists are being convicted one after another ... to make BNP leaders ineligible for the upcoming general elections".[17] According to Aaqib Md. Shatil, writing in The Diplomat, authorities used the legal system to make sure Helal and other BNP leaders could not run in the 2024 general election. They were detained before the election was announced and kept in custody until after the filing deadline for candidates had passed.[18] On 29 November, the day before the close of nominations, the BNP announced that it was boycotting the election.[19]

The Bhairab River separates the rural Khulna-4 constituency from the city of Khulna.

When the interim government of Muhammad Yunus called a general election for February 2026, Helal was nominated as the BNP's candidate for Khulna-4. He ran on a 74-point platform that emphasized major infrastructure projects to develop the constituency. He pledged to build a second bridge across the Bhairab River to ease connection to the district headquarters, Khulna. He also promised to fast-track completion of the Nagarghat and Railgate bridges and build river embankments to protect against erosion.[20][21] Helal was elected with a majority of 13,632.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 সবিশেষকতো বছর পার করলে ছাত্রত্ব যাবে! [You can remain a student for a good number of years!]. bdnew24.com (in Bengali). 25 March 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 শয়ে শয়ে মামলা নিয়ে ভোটের মাঠে যারা [Those in the electoral fray facing hundreds of cases]. Jugantor (in Bengali). 12 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "New JCD body formed". The Daily Star. 1 January 2003.
  4. 1 2 Habib, Wasim Bin; Nobin, Najmul Alom (22 December 2008). "Rebel, rookie, veteran face woman factor". The Daily Star.
  5. ↑ "Khulna BNP top brass threaten to quit party". The Daily Star. 7 December 2006.
  6. ↑ Suman, Rakib Hasnet (9 December 2006). "BNP faces tough task to please ticket seekers". The Daily Star.
  7. ↑ "JCD president remanded in police custody for 5 days". New Age. 26 August 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Bangladesh Parliament Election - Detail Results". Amar Desh. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Harun-or-Rashid (2024). Understanding Fifty Years of Bangladesh Politics. Routledge. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-032-63601-6.
  10. ↑ Suman, Rakib Hasnet; Ahammed, Rakib (8 July 2009). "JCD lacks constitution". The Daily Star.
  11. ↑ "Police go on arrest spree". The Daily Star. 31 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "150 BNP men sued". The New Nation. 28 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Khaleda charged with sabotage". The Daily Star. 19 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "BNP leader Azizul Bari Helal 'detained'". Prothom Alo. 31 January 2018.
  15. ↑ একাদশ জাতীয় সংসদ নির্বাচনের কেন্দ্রভিত্তিক ফলাফল (১০১-১৯৯) [Center-wise results of the 11th National Parliamentary Election (101–199)]. Bangladesh Election Commission (XLSX) (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "Eight BNP activists land in Khulna jail". New Age. UNB. 27 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "49 BNP men including Habibun Nabi, Azizul Bari sentenced". Prothom Alo. 20 November 2023.
  18. ↑ Shatil, Aaqib Md. (15 December 2023). "Why Bangladesh is About to Have a Lopsided Election". The Diplomat.
  19. ↑ Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu (29 November 2023). "'Won't join farcical vote': Bangladesh opposition leader ahead of election". Al Jazeera.
  20. ↑ "BNP candidate Helal unveils 74-point manifesto for Khulna-4". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "BNP's Azizul Bari Helal Unveils 74-Point Manifesto for Khulna-4". RTV. 24 January 2026.
  22. ↑ "BNP wins 4 seats, Jamaat 2 in Khulna". Dhaka Tribune. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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