Syed Zafar Islam

Syed Zafar Islam is an Indian Politician and former Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is currently one of the national spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Islam is a former investment banker and the former Managing director of the Indian subsidiary of Deutsche Bank. He is regarded as one of the prominent Muslim leaders of the party.
He also served as a non-official independent director for Air India from 2017 to 2020.

Political career

Entry into politics

Syed Zafar Islam was influenced by Narendra Modi's politics and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 5 April 2014 after resigning as director of Deutsche Bank, India. He was made the National Spokesperson of the party. In 2017, he was appointed as a non-official independent director of Air India by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. A close friend of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Zafar is believed to have help Scindia shift to the BJP from the congress in 2020 and topple the elected Madhya Pradesh Congress government of Kamal Nath. He also writes opinion pieces on politics and economic affairs in several national newspapers.

Member of Parliament

In the 2020 by-polls, he was elected unopposed to the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh. BJP did not nominate Zafar in 2024 and thus his term ended and had to bid farewell to his Rajya Sabha seat.