Veteran politician Tofail Ahmed, 80, is set to contest the national election for the 12th time under the boat symbol.
As an advisory council member of the ruling Awami League, Tofail Ahmed initially entered the national election with the boat symbol in 1970 at the age of 27.
He has been elected as a Member of Parliament eight times. In the upcoming 12th parliamentary election, he will be contesting from the Bhola-1 constituency. The election is scheduled to be held on 7 January.
Tofail Ahmed was born in Koralia village of South Dighalia union in Sadar upazila in Bhola on 22 October 1943. He earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1964 and later completed a Master of Science (MSc) in soil science from Dhaka University. He was affiliated with Chhatra League during his college years.
In 1964, Tofail Ahmed was elected as the sports secretary of the Iqbal Hall (now Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall) Students' Union, and later served as the vice president of Iqbal Hall Students' Union in 1966-67.
He held the position of vice president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) from 1967 to 1969. Tofail Ahmed played a prominent role in the 1969 mass upsurge and was elected president of Chhatra League in 1969. He joined the Awami League the following year.
Tofail Ahmed was elected a member of the Pakistan National Assembly in 1970 at the age of 27. He played a significant role as one of the leading organisers in the Liberation War and served as one of the four regional commanders of Mujib Bahini.
Tofail Ahmed took command of the west zone of the Mujib Bahini, encompassing Barishal, Patuakhali, Khulna, Faridpur, Jessore, Kushtia, and Pabna districts.
He was also actively involved in organising the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, which was formed in Mujibnagar on 10 April during the 1971 Independence War. Tofail Ahmed participated in and signed the process of constitution drafting adopted by the parliament the following year.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appointed Tofail Ahmed as his political secretary with the rank of a state minister on 14 January 1972. Tofail Ahmed was subsequently elected as a Member of Parliament from his district, Bhola, in 1973.
When the Awami League came to power in 1996, long after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tofail Ahmed served as the industries and commerce minister. He also held the position of commerce minister in 2013 and 2014.
Tofail Ahmed mentioned that he has been to jail 33 times since 1975, with one instance of being incarcerated for 33 months straight. Throughout his political career, he advocated for people's demands on various issues, including social, political, and economic matters in parliament.
Tofail Ahmed expressed his last wish to build the Bhola-Barishal bridge, establish a public university, and develop an international standard stadium in Bhola.