The constituency was created in 1984 from the Chittagong-17 constituency when the former Chittagong District was split into two districts: Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. The boundaries remained the same.[4]
Shaimum Sarwar Kamal was elected unopposed in the 2014 general election after opposition parties withdrew their candidacies in a boycott of the election.[7]
The BNP candidate died days before the 1 October 2001 general election. Voting in the constituency was postponed until 1 November. Mohammad Sahiduzzaman, the deceased's younger brother, ran in his place.[10]
^"Bangladeshi Four-Party Alliance Wins 11 More Seats in Re-polling". Xinhua News Agency. 9 October 2001. Election to the Cox's Bazar-3 constituency, suspended due to the death of a candidate two days before the October 1 general election, has been rescheduled for November 1.