Haji Sk. Nurul Islam, TMC MP from Basirhat, passes away

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Haji Sk. Nurul Islam passed away, West Bengal CM and party supremo Mamata Banerjee confirmed on Wednesday.

A 'dedicated social worker', Islam, was elected as a Lok Sabha MP from Basirhat. Banerjee offered her condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

"Sad to know of the demise of my valued colleague, our MP of Basirhat, Haji Sk. Nurul Islam. He was a dedicated social worker in a remote Sundarban area, and he worked hard for the upliftment of poor people in a backward region. People of Basirhat will miss his leadership," Banerjee said in a post on X.


In the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Islam won the Basirhat seat with a margin of 3,33,547 votes, defeating BJP's Rekha Patra.


The 60-year-old politician was a zari businessman and one of the most prominent Muslim faces of the party.

Islam, who has been associated with TMC since the very start, began his political career as a member of the Gram Panchayat Samiti from Bahera village, serving from 2003 to 2008. In 2008, he advanced to become a member of the Zila Parishad representing North 24 Parganas.

In 2009, Haji Nurul Islam was given the opportunity to contest the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where he emerged victorious, defeating CPI's Ajay Chakraborty by more than 60,000 votes.

He later contested the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 from the Haroa constituency, securing another win, and successfully retained the seat in the 2021 polls.

In 2024, he replaced sitting TMC MP Nusrat Jahan, who secured the seat in 2019 with a margin of 350,000 votes, defeating BJP candidate Sayantan Basu.

Throughout his political career, which spans nearly two and a half decades, Islam has been involved in a few controversies including allegations of inciting communal violence during the 2010 Deganga riots, leading to an FIR being filed against him in connection with the unrest.