Rubi Noor (12 August 1945 – 10 July 2008) was an Indian politician and the leader of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

who served as four term MLA from

Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) Sujapur, also spelt as Suzapur, is an assembly constituency in Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No. 53 Sujapur Assembly constituency covers Alipur I, Alipur II, Bamongra ...

. She was younger sister of

A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury Abu Barkat Ataur Ghani Khan Choudhury (1 November 1927 – 14 April 2006), known as Barkatda to his supporters, was an Indian politician from West Bengal, India. Choudhury was a senior leader of Indian National Congress party. His home is in En ...

and mother of

Mausam Noor Mausam Benazir Noor (Bengali: মৌসম বেনজির নূর; born 15 October 1979) is an Indian politician serving as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from West Bengal and Vice Chairperson of West Bengal Commission for Women. She ...

Early life

Rubi Noor was born in 1945 at the Kotwali residence of the Khan Chowdhurys, a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

bloodline. After her primary education in Malda, she passed her school final from Shri Shikshayatan School in Kolkata in 1964. She got married during her college days to Syed Mohammad Noor, a resident of Beck Bagan in Kolkata. He worked abroad and Rubi accompanied her husband to Canada. They returned to Kolkata in 1972.

Political career

Rubi Noor entered politics in 1991 when she was 46. Her elder brother and the Congress leader, Ghani Khan Chowdhury, made her contest the

. She won the Sujapur seat in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. In 2001, Ghani Khan Chowdhury made her the Malda district Congress president, a position she held till her death.

Death

Rubi Noor suffered from lung cancer and died at Kolkata on 10 July 2008. After her death, her body was taken to the state assembly, which was adjourned after paying obituary tributes. Her husband had died before her and she left behind three daughters, her eldest daughter Sonya Noor is an American

Vascular surgeon Vascular surgery is a surgical subspecialty in which diseases of the vascular system, or arteries, veins and lymphatic circulation, are managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures and surgical reconstruction. The specialty ...

and her middle daughter Sayeda Noor who has married her uncle

Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury (born 12 January 1938) is an Indian politician and former Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. He has represented the Maldaha Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency) since 2009. He first elected M.P from hi ...

's son

Isha Khan Choudhury Isha Khan Choudhury is an Indian politician from the state of West Bengal. He represented the Sujapur constituency in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly as a candidate of the Indian National Congress party. He comes from a political family w ...

and her youngest of whom,

, has entered politics after her death or she has served as M.P. from Maldaha Uttar. In an obituary tribute ''The Telegraph'' wrote: “Over the years, her brother ingrained in her an insight into Bengal politics, which in turn helped her feel the pulse of electoral politics. Under her able leadership, the Congress came to power in the Malda zilla parishad this year without having to clutch on to other anti-Left parties. The new zilla parishad sabhadhipati, Sabina Yasmeen, was Ruby’s choice despite several attempts made by Congress dissidents to thwart her move.”

References

1945 births 2008 deaths West Bengal MLAs 1991–1996 West Bengal MLAs 1996–2001 West Bengal MLAs 2001–2006 West Bengal MLAs 2006–2011 Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal 21st-century Indian Muslims People from Malda district Women in West Bengal politics Deaths from lung cancer 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians 20th-century Bengalis 21st-century Bengalis {{WestBengal-politician-stub