Yusuf Ali Chowdhury

Yusuf Ali Chowdhury ইউসুফ আলী চৌধুরী
Chowdhury during the 1950s
Member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly
In office 1937–1945
Succeeded by	Chowdhury Shamsuddin Ahmed[1]
Constituency	Faridpur East
Personal details
Born	1905 Faridpur, Bengal Presidency, British Raj
Died	26 November 1971(1971-11-26) (aged 65–66) Karachi, Pakistan
Political party	Muslim League Krishak Praja Party Pakistan Democratic Party
Children	Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf Chowdhury Akmal Ibne Yusuf
Parent	Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash (father)
Relatives	Chowdhury Abd-Allah Zaheeruddin (brother)

Yusuf Ali Chowdhury (1905 – 26 November 1971), commonly known as Mohan Mia, was a leading Muslim League politician from Bengal.^[2] He campaigned for Bengali Muslim civil rights in British India. Hailing from a prominent landowning clan of Faridpur, he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1937. He was a leader of the Pakistan movement and the Bengal Provincial Muslim League.

Chowdhury became the first General Secretary of the Muslim League in East Bengal after the partition of India in 1947. He later joined the Krishak Praja Party led by A. K. Fazlul Huq. He supported the Bengali Language Movement in 1952.^[3] Chowdhury gained a reputation as the "kingmaker" of Bengali and Pakistani politics due to his coalition forming skills, as the United Front parties depended on him to organize political alliances.^[4] He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, and the National Assembly of Pakistan.

In 1970, Chowdhury joined the Pakistan Democratic Party led by Nurul Amin. Despite being a lifelong advocate of Bengali Muslim civil rights, Chowdhury supported Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He died in Karachi on 26 November 1971. His son Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf was a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).