Bangladeshi-Origin Sheikh Rahman Re-Elected Unopposed as Georgia Senator, Joy in His Bajitpur Birthplace
Bangladeshi-origin Sheikh Mujahidur Rahman Chandan has been re-elected unopposed to District 5 in the US state of Georgia. His birthplace is Sararchar village in Bajitpur upazila of Kishoreganj.
According to Georgia State Senate election result data, Sheikh Mujahidur Rahman was elected unopposed because there was no candidate against him in District 5 in the general election. The preliminary results show 35,101 votes in his name.
Earlier, on May 19, Sheikh Rahman secured the party nomination by defeating Robin McCoy in the Democratic Party primary. In that election he received 6,188 votes, while his rival Robin McCoy received 5,166 votes.
Sheikh Rahman was first elected a Georgia state senator in 2018. He became known as the state's first Muslim and Bangladeshi-origin lawmaker. Since then he has represented State Senate District 5.
Sheikh Rahman is the son of Bajitpur freedom fighter Najibur Rahman of Kishoreganj. His father served as camp supervisor of the 'Joy Bangla Youth Camp' in Agartala, India, during the Liberation War in 1971.
Sheikh Rahman is the elder brother of Sheikh Mojibur Rahman Iqbal, the MP for Kishoreganj-5 (Bajitpur-Nikli). MP Iqbal had contested the election as a BNP rebel candidate.
Sheikh Rahman moved to the United States in 1981. He later earned a BBA degree from the University of Georgia. He is the second among three brothers and four sisters.
Local residents expressed joy in his birthplace Bajitpur at the news of his re-election. They described Sheikh Rahman as a proud son of the area.
Sheikh Rahman's nephew Sheikh Rafid Rahman said his family and local people are proud that he has been elected a senator in Georgia, USA. As a Bangladeshi Muslim this achievement was difficult and challenging, and he is successfully walking that path. They hope he will rise to an even higher position in the future and brighten the country's image.
Notably, Sheikh Mujahidur Rahman was also elected to Georgia State Senate District 5 in the 2024 election, defeating Republican candidate Lisa Babbage.
