 He served as the Minister for Technical Education and Training, Youth Welfare, Minority Development and Welfare, Self Employment till 2004.In the 14th General Elections held in 2004, he won the Calcutta North East constituency of West Bengal and served as the Deputy leader of the CPI(M) Lok Sabha group.After delimitation, in the 2009 Lok Sabha election Salim contested the new Calcutta North constituency, and lost to Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress.