In Khagrachhari, debate swirls around Samiran, BNP rebel ‘inactive’ for 17 years

The BNP’s official nomination for the Khagrachhari seat has gone to Wadud Bhuiyan, while Samiran is contesting the election as a rebel

Despite staying away from active grassroots politics for a long time since 2008, Samiran Dewan has entered the race in the Khagrachhari constituency as a BNP rebel candidate after failing to secure the party nomination.

For the past 17 years, he was never been visibly involved in BNP’s political activities in Khagrachhari.

The BNP’s official nomination for the Khagrachhari seat has gone to Wadud Bhuiyan, while Samiran is contesting the election against him as a “rebel candidate” with the football symbol.

Samiran’s candidacy has triggered dissatisfaction among BNP’s grassroots leaders and activists in Khagrachhari. They believe that due to his prolonged absence, he will not be able to exert much influence on BNP’s vote bank, and that ultimately the paddy sheaf candidate Wadud Bhuiyan will win.

Khagrachhari District Chhatra Dal President Arif Mohammad Zahid said, “We, the activists of the new generation, have never seen Samiran Dewan in field-level politics. He has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. His key mission is to stop Wadud Bhuiyan, but that will never be possible.”

“In this election, both the communities from the hills and Bengali residents of Khagrachhari have united to ensure Wadud Bhuiyan’s victory. On Feb 12, BNP’s paddy sheaf candidate Wadud Bhuiyan will win by a large margin.”

BNP leaders and activists say that during Sheikh Hasina’s three consecutive terms in office, Wadud and many other BNP leaders in Khagrachhari were subjected to arrests and repression, while Samiran remained out of contact. He left Khagrachhari and moved to Dhaka, and notably, he was never named as a suspect in any case during Sheikh Hasina’s rule.

According to information obtained from the Election Commission, Samiran suffered a heavy defeat in the 2008 general election to Awami League candidate Jatindra Lal Tripura. Jatindra secured 122,750 votes with the boat symbol, while Samiran received 63,048 votes.

Observers say that although Samiran is a BNP rebel candidate, he does not pose a significant threat to the party. Due to the 17-year gap, he is unlikely to draw votes from BNP’s core support base.

However, with support from a regional organisation in the hill tracts, Samiran is expected to mainly split votes from independent candidate Dharmajyoti Chakma, who is contesting with the horse symbol. Dharmajyoti was recently elected chairman of the Dighinala Upazila Parishad in the previous Upazila election. This is his first time contesting a parliamentary election as an independent candidate.

Khagrachhari BNP General Secretary M N Absar said, “After failing to bag the party nomination, Samiran has now become a ‘rebel’ candidate. He has not been in Khagrachhari for the last 17 years. He has no connection with party leaders and activists.”

“After suffering a landslide defeat in the 2008 parliamentary election, he left Khagrachhari. He only returns during election season like a migratory bird. During the Awami League’s rule, he maintained cordial relations with their ministers and MPs. We have informed the party’s central leadership to take action against him.”

He added, “Samiran Dewan received the BNP nomination in Khagrachhari in 2008 because Wadud Bhuiyan was in jail at the time, but he lost by a large margin. Since then, he has not been seen in any BNP programme.”

When asked about reports of support from the Jana Sanghati Samiti, Samiran said, “Stopping Wadud is not my mission. Wadud is like a brother to me—we were once in the same party. I still belong to the party.”

Engineer Nirmal Kanti Das, general secretary of the Khagrachhari district unit of the platform SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), said, “We have questions about Samiran Dewan’s public engagement over the last 17 years. As a politician, his presence in people’s joys and sorrows has been limited, and that is our general concern.”

“He had no role in the 2024 mass uprising. In 1989, he became chairman of the Local Government Council (now the Hill District Council) unopposed through a special arrangement. He did not assume the post based on public support.”

“During his tenure, he failed to work in the public interest. He did not take any effective steps to protect the interests of ordinary people.”

Khagrachhari District BNP Joint Secretary Animesh Chakma Rinku said, “Samiran Dewan initially entered politics through Hussain Muhammad Ershad and became a Jatiya Party leader in 1989, which led to his appointment as Zila Parishad chairman at the time. He later joined BNP.

“However, he was a member of BNP’s central committee only on paper. For the past 17 years, he has been closely associated with Awami League leaders.”