| Sohel Taj | |
| Office: | Member of Parliament |
| Constituency: | Gazipur-4 |
| Term Start: | 2001 |
| Term End: | 23 April 2012 |
| Predecessor: | Afsaruddin Ahmad |
| Successor: | Simeen Hussain Rimi |
| Office1: | Minister of State for Home Affairs |
| President1: | Zillur Rahman |
| Primeminister1: | Sheikh Hasina |
| Predecessor1: | Lutfozzaman Babar |
| Term Start1: | 6 January 2009 |
| Term End1: | 31 May 2009 |
| Birth Name: | Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj |
| Birth Date: | 5 January 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Dhaka, East Pakistan, Pakistan (present in Bangladesh) |
| Father: | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Mother: | Syeda Zohra Tajuddin |
| Relatives: | Simeen Hussain Rimi (sister) Afsaruddin Ahmad (uncle) |
| Alma Mater: | American University in Bulgaria Gordon University |
| Nickname: | The Hotline Commando[1] |
| Height: | 5 feet 8 inches |
| Weight: | 78 kg |
| Biceps: | 17 inches |
| Chest: | 44 inches |
| Waist: | 32 inches |
Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj (Bengali: তানজিম আহমদ সোহেল তাজ, in Bengali pronounced as /ˈtandʒim ˈaɦmɔd ˈʃoɦel ˈtaːdʒ/; born 5 January 1970),[2] better known as just Sohel Taj, is a fitness and health activist, bodybuilder and retired Bangladesh Awami League politician and former State Minister of Home Affairs. He is the son of Bangladesh's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad.[3]
Taj was born in Dhaka on 5 January 1970 to Tajuddin Ahmad, who was the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Syeda Zohra Tajuddin, a former convenor and presidium member of Bangladesh Awami League.[2] He has three sisters, Sharmin Ahmad Reepi, Simeen Hussain Rimi and Mahjabin Ahmad Mimi.[4] He obtained bachelor of business administration degree from the American University in Bulgaria and masters from Gordon University in the United States in 2008.[2] His father was assassinated when he was 5 years old.
Taj was elected a member of Parliament in 2001 with Bangladesh Awami League nomination. He served as a member of standing committee on the ministry of youth and sports. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 2008 and joined the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet as the state minister of home affairs on 6 January 2009 and resigned from the position on 31 May the same year.[5]
Taj resigned from Bangladesh's parliament, where he had represented the Gazipur-4 constituency on 23 April 2012.[6] [7] His sister Simeen Hussain Rimi was later elected MP to replace him in his former constituency.[8]
Sohel Taj launched the health and fitness related hit television show Hotline Commando on 20 July 2019 focusing on social issues of Bangladesh. He is the creator and host of the show. The program aired on private satellite channel RTV and is scheduled to run for 12 episodes. Due to COVID-19, the show has been on break after airing 6 episodes. It has reached a combined viewership (TV and social media) of over 20 million.[9] [10]