Talukder Abdul Khaleque is a Bangladeshi politician who was elected mayor of Khulna City Corporation on third occasions and former Member of Parliament.
Career
Khaleque served as a member of Parliament from Bagerhat-3 in 1991 as a Awami League candidate.[1][2] On 23 January 2003, he was sued by the Bureau of Anti-corruption for providing government contracts to his own company.[3]
In August 2008, Khaleque was elected Mayor of Khulna.[4]
Khaleque ran for the Khulna City Corporation on 27 May 2013.[5] He lost to Md. Moniruzzaman Moni, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate.[6] In June 2013, there was a question on him in an exam in Pioneer Secondary Girls School. The school said they bought the question paper from Printing Press.[7] He went on to be elected to parliament from Bagerhat-3 on 5 January 2014.[6]
Khaleque was elected to parliament from Bagerhat-3 in 2018 but resigned to contest the Khulna City Corporation election.[6] He was re-elected as mayor of KCC on 15 May 2018.[8] He denied any irregularities in the election at a press conference in the Khulna Press Club on 16 May.[9] He took charge on 25 September 2018.[10]
Khaleque announced a 504.31 core taka budget for Khulna City Corporation in 2020.[11] He is the President of Khulna unit of Awami League.[12] He filed a case under the Digital Security Act against Khulna journalist Abu Tyeb for a Facebook post he made. Tyeb was arrested on 21 April 2021 under the case.[13] On 13 May 2021, Tyeb was released on bail.[14]
He become the mayor for the third time in Khulna City Corporation (KCC) 2023 elections. He has secured 154,825 votes. His nearest competitor Bangladesh Islami Andolan's Abdul Awal received 60,064 votes.[15]
Following the Non-cooperation movement (2024), Khaleque and most of Khulna's 41 councillors went into hiding on 9 August, causing a paralysis of the city government's functions due to his failure to appoint a substitute.[16]
Personal life
Khaleque's wife Habibun Nahar is the current Member of Parliament from Bagerhat-3. She was elected unopposed.[17]