Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara

Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara is an Awami League politician and a former minister of state for rural development and cooperatives. He was a member of parliament from Rajshahi-5.

Early Dara was born on 20 October 1962 in Rajshahi. He has a bachelor's and a master's in science. Dara's supporters stuffed ballot boxes with fake votes in a January 2009 election for chairman and vice chairman in Rajshahi. Eight of his supporters were arrested by members of the Bangladesh Army from the polling station. On 5 February 2013, Dara's supporters rallied through Rajshahi with weapons following an inter-party clash. He filed cases against the daily newspaper Prothom Alo under sections 499 and 500 of the Bangladesh Penal Code for allegedly defamatory news stories.

Dara was re-elected on 5 January 2014 from Rajshahi-5 unopposed after the opposition boycotted the elections, citing unfair conditions and demanding a "neutral government" conduct the polls. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Food. He failed to receive the Awami League nomination in 2018, which went to Mansur Rahman.

In December 2019, Dara was appointed the secretary of the Rajshahi District unit of the Awami League.

Personal life After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, Dara's uncle and Awami League leader was tortured to death in Rajshahi in May 2025.