Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher
Profile
- Party
- Jamaat-e-Islami
- Constituency
- Comilla-11
- Terms
- 2
- Disclosed wealth
- —
- Criminal cases
- 3
- Education
- Chittagong College; Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (MBBS)
- Cabinet role
- —
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad; leading Jamaat's parliamentary bloc in a constructive-opposition posture while pressing on presidential prerogatives, the Bangladesh-US trade deal terms, and the deputy speaker nomination.
Recent activity
- 2026-03-11 statement Told reporters outside parliament that President Mohammed Shahabuddin had no constitutional right to address the inaugural session; called the president 'an associate of an autocratic regime' and questioned the BNP's decision to allow the presidential address. ↗
- 2026-03-11 statement Stated that Jamaat's parliamentary party had reached a decision on the deputy speaker position but declined to reveal details pending a formal parliamentary discussion. ↗
- 2026-03-05 international Met US Assistant Secretary of State Paul Kapur at the US Ambassador's residence in Dhaka; stated Jamaat would review the Bangladesh-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement, accepting beneficial provisions and discarding the rest; invited US investment citing the current political climate. ↗
- 2026-02-17 appointment Sworn in as MP for Comilla-11 at the inaugural session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad; gazette notification confirmed his appointment as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, second to Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
Winner vote count (133,308) and runner-up (76,638) confirmed by both BSS news agency and Wikipedia. Total valid votes (219,511) and vote shares (Taher 60.73%, Kamrul Huda 34.91%, margin 25.82 pp) sourced from Wikipedia's Comilla-11 article; the 9,565-vote gap between the two-candidate sum (209,946) and total valid votes (219,511) implies additional minor candidates not individually named in available sources -- do not fabricate. Electorate size: 421,632 registered voters; turnout 52.06%. BNP candidate Kamrul Huda filed an election petition in the High Court (bench of Justice Md Zakir Hossain, scheduled hearing 9 March 2026) alleging vote-rigging and result-sheet signature irregularities; no final verdict confirmed in available sources by 2026-05-17. Taher's criminal cases all originate from Awami League-era arrests (2007, 2013, 2024); post-August 2024 status unknown from open sources -- wealth_disclosed_bdt not confirmed from EC affidavit. Committee memberships for 13th parliament not yet published in accessible form as of verification date; prior Public Accounts Committee and Public Undertaking Committee memberships from 2001-2006 term excluded as not current. Constituency created 1973; covers Chauddagram Upazila only; no 2024 boundary redrawing found. Comilla-11 is regarded as a Jamaat stronghold: Jamaat won in 2001 (Taher from Comilla-12 that election), seat flipped to AL in 2008 and held through 2018; 2026 result reverses +55 pp swing back to Jamaat.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comilla-11
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Abdullah_Muhammad_Taher
- https://www.bssnews.net/national-parlament-election-2026/360824
- https://banglamirrornews.com/2026/03/11/president-has-no-right-to-deliver-speech-in-js-taher/
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/ihc5f6x685
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/politics/3umae0n9w4
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh-election-2026/bnp-wins-8-seats-cumilla-jamaat-and-independents-take-3-1360401
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh-election-2026/bnp-candidates-challenge-poll-results-cumilla-11-sirajganj-4-1381361
- https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/gazette-confirms-jamaats-shafiqur-as-opposition-leader-taher-as-deputy
- https://www.jagonews24.com/en/amp/90096