Samiran Dewan, an Indigenous political leader and independent candidate contesting the Khagrachari-298 seat in the 2026 parliamentary election. Image: Courtesy of public sources | Design: The Times of Jumland
As Bangladesh moves toward the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the contest in Khagrachari-298 has drawn attention beyond routine party competition. In this hill-majority constituency, three major political parties have announced candidates, all of them Bengali, while the only Indigenous contender so far is running as an independent.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has nominated Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, a former Member of Parliament and President of Khagrachari District BNP. Nomination papers were collected on his behalf on Tuesday (17 December) from the Khagrachari District Commissioner’s office by senior party leaders.
The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced Md. Ayakub Ali Chowdhury, a Supreme Court lawyer, as its candidate for the constituency, formally entering the race in one of the most politically sensitive seats in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Meanwhile, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has nominated Advocate Monjila Sultana, a central organiser of the party. She will contest the election using the Shapla Kali (Water Lily Bud) symbol. Her nomination was announced at a press conference in Dhaka, where the party unveiled candidates for 125 constituencies in the first phase.
Alongside the party nominees, Samiran Dewan, an Indigenous political leader, has entered the race as an independent candidate, adding a distinct dimension to the local political landscape. A former Chairman of the Local Government Council and a member of BNP’s National Executive Committee, Dewan collected his nomination papers on Monday (15 December). He previously contested the Khagrachari-298 seat in the 2008 parliamentary election and is locally known for his involvement in development and public welfare initiatives.
The Times of Jumland spoke with several voters in the constituency to gauge ground-level sentiment. Ujjal Chakma, a local voter and supporter of independent candidate Samiran Dewan, expressed optimism about Dewan’s prospects. “We believe he has strong support on the ground,” Ujjal said.
Other voters also voiced confidence in their preferred candidates, reflecting a range of political loyalties across the constituency. Observers note that Dewan remains the only Indigenous candidate in the race so far, a factor that could shape voter dynamics if his support base remains mobilised during the campaign.
The Khagrachari-298 constituency comprises nine upazilas and three municipalities and holds significant electoral weight. According to official data, the seat has 545,727 registered voters, including 276,058 men and 269,665 women. Election officials say the voter list is expanding, with more than 27,000 new voters being added through ongoing updates, gradually reshaping the electorate.
Political analysts note that while national parties continue to dominate candidate nominations in hill constituencies, Indigenous representation often emerges through independent candidates rather than party tickets. In a region where Indigenous communities form the demographic majority, this pattern has renewed debate around political inclusion and representation.
As campaigning intensifies, observers say voter engagement in Khagrachari is likely to be shaped not only by party loyalties and development promises but also by broader questions of representation, identity, and local priorities.
Although Bengali voters hold a slight numerical majority in the constituency, Indigenous voters remain nearly equal in number and play a critically important role. Yet this demographic balance continues to be rarely reflected in party-level political nominations, an imbalance that remains central to political debate in the Hill District.
