Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, was born in 1952 in the Mymensingh town.
Ashraful is an MA and is a businessman by profession. He was involved in politics from the student life. He became the general secretary of greater Mymensingh district Chhatra League and assistant publicity secretary of the central unit.
He also worked as the acting general secretary of Awami League (AL) after the arrest of its general secretary Abdul Jalil. Now he is working as the spokesman of Awami League.
He is the son of Syed Nazrul Islam, acting president of the then Mujibnagar government in 1971.
Ashraful went to the United Kingdom after the killing of his father in prison along with three other national leaders in 1975. He came back to Bangladesh in 1996 and was elected lawmaker from Kishoreganj Sadar in the 7th national elections. He was elected a lawmaker in the 2001 election too. He worked as a member of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign ministry.
His electoral pledges include building up developed road and rail link from Dhaka to Kishoreganj.