Commentary, CHT News
Preliminary results of Constituency No. 298
(Khagrachari) in the 13th National Parliamentary Election are as follows:
• Wadud Bhuiyan (Sheaf of Paddy) – 151,040 votes
• Dharma Jyoti Chakma (Horse) – 68,315 votes
• Eyakub Ali (Scales) – 58,454 votes
• Samiran Dewan (Football) – 47,910 votes
(The votes received by the remaining seven candidates
are not considered particularly relevant to this discussion and are therefore
omitted.)
The reasons behind the defeat of the “Horse” symbol
are multifaceted and require deep analysis. Here, six key reasons are briefly
identified and discussed.
1) Betrayal of National Interests by the JSS Santu
Group and the Reformists
The JSS Santu Group did not support Dharma Jyoti
Chakma, the candidate nominated through a democratic process by Khagrachari’s
civil society. Instead, they fielded the notorious Dalal (collaborator) Samiran
Dewan, thereby ensuring the victory of Wadud Bhuiyan.
Not only that, they reportedly threatened civil
society leaders, forcing them to halt their activities, and campaigned
aggressively and fanatically in favor of Samiran Dewan. They allegedly coerced
Dharma Jyoti Chakma into signing a withdrawal application, continuously
pressured and threatened him and his family to withdraw from the election, and
even attempted to abduct him. Fearing for his life, he was compelled to go into
hiding for several days.
Meanwhile, the reformists initially pledged to support
the civil society–nominated candidate but later withdrew from that position for
unknown reasons and campaigned in favor of the Dalal. They also allegedly
threatened and pressured supporters of the Horse symbol. As a result, the Jumma
vote was divided, making Wadud Bhuiyan’s victory smooth and unobstructed.
2) Increase in the Number of Settler Voters
The rise in the number of Bengali and settler voters
influenced the election outcome. In the Khagrachari constituency, the total
number of voters is 554,114. Of these, 282,986 are Bengali and settler voters,
while 271,127 are Jumma voters (Chakma: 135,915; Tripura: 76,430; Marma:
57,587; others: 1,192).
In the 2001 and 2008 elections, settler voters did not
outnumber the Jumma voters. Over the past 28 years, taking advantage of
fratricidal conflict initiated by the JSS Santu Group, settlers have
infiltrated Khagrachari, Rangamati, and Bandarban in significant numbers. While
JSS and UPDF were engaged in internal conflict initiated by Santu Larma,
settlers expanded their population. Without such fratricidal conflict, settlers
would not have had this opportunity, and mass resistance against their infiltration
could have been built.
It also needs to be mentioned that during the civil
war period of the 1980s, the Bangladesh government was able to resettle
settlers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts because of this same Santu Larma.
3) The Consequence of 35 Years of Self-Destructive and
Opportunistic Politics
According to this analysis, the election result is the
inevitable outcome of 35 years of self-destructive, shortsighted, and tailing
politics by the JSS Santu Group. Since the 1991 election, they have alternately
compelled people to vote for the Awami League and the BNP. Due to this
opportunistic politics, a significant portion of Jumma people became aligned
with these two parties.
It is argued that many joined whichever party was
ascendant at a given time, lacking national consciousness and being not only
detached from movements but actively opposed to them. These groups allegedly
played key roles in helping reactionary party nominees win against Jumma
national interests.
There is nothing to be surprised. Over 35 years, JSS
did not lead movements, but obstructed others from organizing movements, and
focused on fratricidal violence. Had UPDF not continued some level of movement,
even those who voted for Dharmjyoti Chakma out of ethnic solidarity and
patriotism might have drifted to the Awami League or BNP long ago.
4) Division Among Jumma Parties
Rivalry between the Horse and Football
symbols—effectively disunity and internal conflict among Jumma
parties—discouraged many Jumma voters, leading them to abstain from voting.
This, in turn, benefited the settler candidate Wadud Bhuiyan.
5) Low Voter Turnout Among Jumma Voters
Because UPDF and others were busy addressing threats
from JSS, they could not fully engage in campaigning. As a result, roughly half
of the Jumma voters did not cast their votes.
If we assume that about 40,000 Jumma voters cast votes
for the BNP, then the total number of Jumma voters who voted would be:
68,315 (Horse) + 47,910 (Football) + 40,000 (Sheaf of
Paddy) = 156,215.
Given that the total number of Jumma voters is
271,127, at least 114,912 Jumma voters abstained. If even one-third of these
abstaining voters had gone to the polls, and if Samiran Dewan had not
contested, the Horse symbol’s chances of victory would have been strong.
6) No Room for Compromise in Candidate Selection
UPDF had no room to compromise on its candidate. Had
JSS nominated someone other than Samiran Dewan—someone without a record of
Dalali (collaboration)—UPDF could have considered supporting that person.
Supporting Samiran Dewan, described as a Dalal and traitor, would have amounted
to political suicide for UPDF. Moreover, UPDF had committed to supporting the
candidate nominated by the civil society. JSS, on the other hand, could easily
have supported Dharma Jyoti Chakma.
Conclusion
It is clear from the above analysis that, ultimately,
due to the self-destructive and opportunistic politics of the JSS Santu Group,
the Khagrachari seat (as well as Rangamati and Bandarban) once again slipped
from the hands of the people.
However, even in defeat there is a kind of victory.
Although the seat was lost, the people of Khagrachari delivered a clear verdict
against the Dalali and betrayal of Samiran Dewan. This verdict is seen as a
rejection of Santu Larma’s self-destructive politics and an endorsement of the
revolutionary current represented by UPDF and emerging youth.
UPDF does not consider electoral victory its ultimate
goal. For the people, national elections are part of a broader movement. The
party views elections as a tool to advance the struggle for rights and to raise
political consciousness by helping people identify friends and foes.
From this perspective, the party considers itself
somewhat successful in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The “ugly
face” of JSS Santu Group’s Dalali politics has been exposed. Meanwhile, young
people participated spontaneously in campaigning, expressing a strong desire
for change. The experience gained in this election will be useful for future
movements.
The youth have realized that real change will not come
through elections alone but through other forms of struggle. They have
understood that without confronting opportunistic Dalals, the national
liberation struggle of the Jumma people cannot advance even a single step. This
political consciousness among the youth has been brought about by the election.
(13 February 2026)
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