Mir Shahe Alam

Mir Shahe Alam is a Bangladeshi politician and a prominent leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He is the elected Member of Parliament for the Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency. On 17 February 2026, he was appointed as the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives in the Tarique Rahman ministry, serving under Cabinet Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. His appointment made him the first cabinet representative from Bogura in more than three decades.

Political Career Public Representation In 1997, at the age of 23, he was elected as the Chairman of Atmul Union Parishad, becoming the youngest UP Chairman in the country at the time. He won the seat with 145,024 votes and was subsequently appointed as a State Minister.

Ministerial Tenure As State Minister, Alam has focused on stabilizing rural infrastructure and essential supplies. During a fuel crisis scare, he assured the public that fuel oil supply remained normal and urged against panic. He has also been active in promoting cultural and educational initiatives within the local government framework.

Corruption and Abuse of Power Since 2008, several political cases were filed against him. In 2023, he was arrested and imprisoned in a case involving alleged sabotage. After spending a significant amount of time in custody, he was released on bail by the High Court in early 2024.

In June 2026, Alam became the subject of controversy after opposition lawmakers alleged that three newly created unions in Alam's constituency Mirbari, Digonto, and Simanto had been named after his family title and his two sons. Alam in response denied the allegation, claiming that the names had "miraculously" coincided with those of his sons. This drew criticism from lawmakers within the ruling BNP, who said it had embarrassed the party and raised concerns about favoritism and the government's public image.

Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam has faced allegations of favoritism, conflict of interest, and abuse of office. Reports claim that his constituency, Shibganj, received Tk 74 crore in road, footpath, and bridge projects, with a major share reportedly going to his son Mir Shimanto Alam’s contracting firm, including Tk 13.5 crore in projects . Channel One separately reported that the minister and his family obtained nearly Tk 40 crore in government contracts after he became a minister, including contracts under multiple ministries and his own ministry. The report also raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and alleged that some projects had the minister’s firm as the sole bidder. A journalist was also arrested under the Cyber Security Act and an extortion case after reporting allegedly defamatory information about the minister, but was later granted bail following a settlement. Channel One reported that Executive Engineer Md. Tabibur Rahman Talukdar of the Department of Public Health Engineering, who had been temporarily suspended over allegations of corruption, was cleared of the allegations and reinstated within just 12 days following a recommendation from State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam. He was later assigned as the project director of two projects worth nearly Tk 4,000 crore. The incident has raised serious questions about Mir Shahe Alam’s undue influence and abuse of power. In June 2026, Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, despite not being the minister responsible for the Home Ministry, sent a demi-official (DO) letter to the Home Ministry concerning Muhammad Sharif, Officer-in-Charge of Sadarghat Police Station in Chattogram. The letter called for an investigation into allegations against Sharif, including political bias, extortion, corruption, illegal financial transactions, and abuse of power. Following the Home Ministry’s directive, Sharif was withdrawn from his post and a committee was formed to investigate the allegations. Sharif denied the allegations. In September 2026, The Daily Star reported that companies owned by State Minister Mir Shahe Alam and his son had secured at least 12 government contracts worth over Tk 71 crore between 2024 and 2026. The report raised conflict-of-interest concerns over contracts awarded after Shahe Alam became state minister. In 2026, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam used his government position to seek tax and customs exemptions for his family-owned Rupsi Rice and Nutrition Mills, submitting a request to the National Board of Revenue that included his official visiting card. The matter was reported by Daily Samakal, which quoted Transparency International Bangladesh describing the use of public office for private business interests as an ethical violation and conflict of interest.