KHAGRACHHARI, a district in the Chittagong Division of south-eastern Bangladesh, is a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region. It is a hilly area. The district is bounded by Tripura state of India on the north and west, Rangamati District to the east and Chittagong District to the southwest. Notable hill ranges are Golamoon, Chotto Panchari, Karmi Mura, Lutiban, Kuradia, Bhanga Mura, Jopisil.
The zilla headquarters is located on the bank of the Chengi River. It has three rivers, namely Chengi, Feni and Maini. Chengi is the longest river in Khagrachhari. The main ethnic groups living in the district are Tripuris, Chakmas, Bengalis and Marmas.
According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Khagrachhari District has 169,526 households and a population of 714,119 with an average 4.14 people per household. Among the population, 144,968 (20.30%) inhabitants are under 10 years of age. Khagrachhari has a literacy rate of 71.80%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 100.27 males to 100 females. Approximately, 41.74% of the population lives in urban areas.
As per the 2022 Census, there are a total of 349,390 (48.93%) ethnic people in the district. The population of major ethnic minorities living in the district besides the Bengalis includes Chakma (175,165), Tripura (98,500), and Marma (74,210). Bengalis are the largest group in Khagrachhari District (51.07%).
Most of the people live on Jhum cultivation. There are also people of various professions like teachers, farmers and businessmen. Tourism is becoming a strong income source for the locals.
Among the archaeological heritages and relics, Rajbari of the Mong Circle and Dighi (large pond) of Dighinala (excavated by Gobinda Manikya Bahadur exiled king of Tripura) are notable.
The annual average temperature of the district varies from maximum 34.6 °C to minimum 13 °C and the average annual rainfall is 3031 mm.
KHAGRACHHARI- Parliamentary Seat No: 298. There is only one constituency in Khagrachhari covering the entire district.
The people of the country are eagerly awaiting a fair election following the fall of the Awami League (AL)-backed government in the face of the student-public movement. To that end, the interim government has already announced the roadmap for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election. Although the exact date of the election has not yet been fixed, potential candidates for various seats are actively campaigning across the country.
The total number of voters including the new voters is 529,471. The three hill districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts- Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachari, differ from other regions of the country. Although each of the three districts has one parliamentary seat, the electoral equation is quite complex. Alongside national politics, the strong presence and vote banks of regional parties significantly influence the outcomes in these constituencies.
Apart from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Party (JaPa), Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), National Citizen Party (NCP), and Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP) will field candidates in Khagrachhari District.
There are rumours that the unregistered regional organization, United People's Democratic Front (UPDF)- Proshit Group, might also field candidate as in previous elections.
The district holds international and national importance due to its strategic location. It shares a long border with India, features the under-construction Ramgarh Land Port, and has connectivity with Chittagong District and the capital city Dhaka, along with tourism potential. However, the region lags in education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
It is anticipated that voters in this constituency will weigh these issues and prospects when casting their votes. The newly formed political party, NCP, has already started reaching out to voters by highlighting these problems of the hills. They are discussing these issues in various programmes. On the other hand, Jamaat is campaigning with promises of communal harmony, job creation, and eliminating discrimination. Many potential candidates from other parties are also in the field with various issues and equations.
Due to the political foresight and strategic acumen of BNP's founder President Ziaur Rahman, BNP enjoys significant popularity in the Khagrachhari constituency. In the 1996 and 2001 elections, BNP-supported candidate Wadud Bhuiyan won this seat. In subsequent elections in 2008 and 2018, BNP's (Paddy Sheaf) candidate also performed well. For the upcoming national election, multiple names from BNP are being discussed for this seat. Among them, Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, President of Khagrachhari District BNP and Co-Secretary of the Central Committee for Employment, and Samiran Dewan, Member of the BNP's Standing Committee, are being supported by party workers.
MN Absar, General Secretary of Khagrachhari District BNP, stated that every unit of the party-district, upazila, municipality, and union-has been working with an election focus for the past year. They are disseminating the 31-point agenda of Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to the people door-to-door. "For the past 17 years, under the leadership of former MP and District President Wadud Bhuiyan, we have been on the ground against the autocratic regime. We have led movements and faced attacks and cases from the AL. Those who once hesitated to utter BNP's name are now proudly associating with it in better times. We hope the central leadership will consider these aspects when making decisions," he said.
Samiran Dewan mentioned, "I and the party workers have been active in every activity of BNP against the autocratic forces. Those who haven't seen it themselves, I cannot show them anew. I am ready to accept whatever decision the party high command makes."
However, Jamaat has announced a single candidate. The party has supported Advocate Yakub Ali Chowdhury, a member of the Cumilla Metropolitan Jamaat Working Committee and a lawyer at the Supreme Court, with the "Scale" symbol. Since finalising his candidacy last April, Yakub Ali Chowdhury has been extensively campaigning. Although he does not have a specific manifesto, he is reaching out to voters with promises of communal harmony and establishing a state based on justice.
Jamaat's declared candidate Advocate Yakub Ali Chowdhury said he is receiving a positive response from the people. "This region is not behind the expectations that led the people to oust Hasina from power. My party and I will work to establish a humane and discrimination-free Khagrachhari District," he stated.
After August 5, 2024, no activities of the JaPa have been visibly observed in Khagrachhari. Attempts to contact several leaders at the district and divisional levels via mobile phone were unsuccessful.
IAB has declared Maulana Kawsar Azizi, General Secretary of its District branch, as its candidate. He stated that he was nominated through a democratic direct vote. He hopes to contest the election to establish the rule of law, ensure people's rights, and deliver justice, provided a fair environment prevails.
Lokman Hossain, Organizational Secretary of GOP for the Chittagong Division, mentioned that the party will field candidates in 300 seats. As his home district, he intends to seek nomination for the Khagrachhari seat. If the party nominates him, he will actively campaign.
Advocate Monjila Jhuma, Organizer of the NCP for the Southern Region, expressed similar sentiments.
Although several left-leaning parties, including Trinamool BNP, Zaker Party, and BaSaD (Socialist Party of Bangladesh), fielded candidates in previous elections, there is no news from them yet.
UPDF, supported by the Proshit Group, which holds a strong position in the hill's electoral politics, has not yet formally commented on the national election. Angya Marma, an organizer of the party, stated that protecting the existence of ethnic communities is more important than electoral politics in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. "Although the situation changed across the country after the July Uprising, it did not change in the hills. If we see a favourable environment, we may field candidates," he said.
Although the other regional organization of the hills, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS)-Santu Group), does not have any significant dominance in this seat, PCJSS-MN Larma Group has a presence. While their activity was observed in local government elections, they have not yet confirmed their stance regarding the national election.
