[3][4] Alam was elected Councillor of North Kattali Ward on 30 January 1994 with the support of Bangladesh Awami League.
After ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury was imprisoned by the Caretaker Government during the 2007-2008 Bangladeshi political crises, Alam became the acting mayor.
[5] Alam was elected Mayor of Chittagong in 2010 as a candidate of Chattagram Unnayan Andolon and backed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
[6][5] In 2015, Alam lost the re-election to Awami League backed candidate AJM Nasir Uddin.
According to Bdnews24.com, there was vote rigging in some polling stations by Awami League, which was in power at national government level.