Syed Nausher Ali
Syed Nausher Ali (1891–1972) was an Indian politician from Bengal who supported Indian independence and Hindu-Muslim cooperation for a united India. He was born in Narail in the Bengal Presidency into a wealthy family. He studied at Daulatpur High School and Daulatpur College, then moved to Calcutta for higher studies, earning a law degree (BL) from the University of Calcutta and attending Calcutta City College. He joined the Calcutta High Court Bar in 1921.
He was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1921 and joined the Krishak Praja Party (KPP) in 1936. In 1937, when Fazlul Huq formed a coalition government with the All-India Muslim League, Nausher Ali was the KPP member in the cabinet. He served as Minister of Health and Local Self-Government. His decision to appoint more Muslim candidates to posts stirred tensions, and after a cabinet reshuffle in 1938, he was removed from the ministry.
In 1939 he joined the Indian National Congress. He traveled to Khulna and Jessore to organize peasants, urging them not to pay rent to zamindars or the government and to resist imperial rule.
When Fazlul Huq formed a second coalition in 1942, Nausher Ali became Speaker of the Bengal Legislative Assembly from March 1, 1943 to May 14, 1946. Throughout the 1940s, many Muslims in Bengal favored Pakistan, but Nausher Ali spoke for a united India.
In the 1945–46 elections he was one of only two Muslim Congress candidates in Bengal. After 1947 he stayed in India and continued to be a Muslim political figure in West Bengal. He died on 6 April 1972.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:25 (CET).