In the
4th Upazila Elections-2014 in Bangladesh, indigenous candidates won 18 chairman
posts in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), 20 female vice chairman posts in CHT
& plains and 17 vice chairman (general/male) posts in CHT.
In five
phases, from February 19, 2014 to March 31, 2014, the 4th Upazila Parishad
(Sub-district Council) elections were held in Bangladesh amid allegation of
irregularities, vote rigging, snatching of ballot papers, attack on opponent
groups etc. It is mentionable that the Upazilas (sub-districts) are the second
lowest tier of local government bodies in Bangladesh with major
responsibilities for ensuring local service delivery in all key sectors. The
national administrative structure consists in fact in Divisions (7), Districts
(64), Upazila Parishads (496) and Union Parishads (4451). Bangladesh, at
present, has 496 upazilas.
Each
Upazila Parishad composes with one chairman, one vice chairman (general) and
one woman vice chairman. All three are elected through direct popular election.
Union Parishad (lowest tier of administration) chairmen within the upazila are
considered as the members of the Upazila Parishad.
Chairman: So far information
received, 18 posts of Chairmanship out of 25 upazilas in CHT were captured by
the indigenous Jumma candidates. However, no chairman was elected among from
indigenous peoples in plain lands.
In CHT,
among the 25 upazilas of three hill districts, 18 chairmen were elected among
from indigenous Jumma communities and rest 7 chairmen are from non-indigenous
Bengali community. Out of 18 indigenous chairmen, 11 belong to Chakma while 7
are among from Marma ethnic group. On the other, among the 18 winning
indigenous chairmen, 14 chairmen were supported by indigenous peoples’
political parties while 4 winning chairmen supported by national level
mainstream political parties.
Out of
25 upazilas in the CHT, only one indigenous female candidate supported by
indigenous political party won the election for the post of chairmanship. This
remarkable success was achieved in Barkal upazila, Rangamati district.
Vice
Chairman (General): Out of
25 winning vice chairmen in CHT, 17 vice chairmen are belonging to indigenous
Jumma communities and 8 are among from Bengali community. Like chairman posts,
no vice chairman (general) was elected among from indigenous peoples in plain
lands. Ethnic community wise, out of 17 indigenous vice chairmen, 8 are from
Chakma and 5 belong to Marma as well as one each from Tripura, Mro, Tangchangya
and Bawm ethnic groups. Among the 17 winning vice chairmen, 13 chairmen were
supported by indigenous peoples’ political parties while 4 winning chairmen
were supported by national level mainstream political parties.
Woman
Vice Chairman: Throughout
the country, 20 posts of vice chairmanship (female) were captured by the
indigenous women candidates where 17 in CHT and 3 in plain lands.
The 20
winning woman vice chairman are belonging from different indigenous community
background, of them 17 from CHT where as 9 belong to Chakma, 5 Marma and one
each won by Tripura, Tanchangya and Bawm indigenous community, while among the
3 winning vice chairman in plain lands belong to one Monipuri, one Santal and
one Rajowar indigenous community. Among the 17 winning female vice chairmen in
CHT, 15 female vice chairmen were supported by indigenous peoples’ political
parties while 2 winning vice chairmen were supported by mainstream political
parties. In the plain land, all 3 winning female vice chairmen were supported
by mainstream political parties as indigenous peoples in plain lands do not
have own political party.
Conclusion: Compare to upazila
election held in 2009, indigenous peoples’ political parties in CHT done better
result in 2014. In 2009, out of 25 upazilas in three hill districts, 15 posts
of chairmanship were captured by the indigenous candidates. However, among
them, only 6 winning chairmen were the candidate of indigenous political
parties while 9 chairmen were from mainstream political parties.
Indigenous
peoples of the country, particularly in CHT, are not happy with the mainstream
political parties negative attitude towards implementation of the CHT Accord
and to resolve land problem in plain land & CHT as well as to provide
constitutional recognition to the CHT Accord and ethnic identity as indigenous
peoples, instead, termed them as Bengali through 15th Amendment to the Constitution in 2011.
Against this backdrop, mainstream political parties tested bad result in the
Upazila Parishad Elections in CHT and, on the contrary, indigenous political
parties in CHT, at least in some extent, achieved progress.
This
figure shows that in 2014 upazila parishad elections, the indigenous political
parties in CHT made better result than in 2009 elections.
Party-wise results of the
Upazila Elections 2014 in the CHT
Name of the supported party
|
Chairman post
|
Vice chair post
|
Vice chair (female) post
|
Total
|
PCJSS
|
7
|
7
|
9
|
23
|
BNP
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
19
|
AL
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
12
|
UPDF
|
2
|
1
|
-
|
3
|
PCJSS (MNL)
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
Jamat-e-Islam
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
Independent*
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
12
|
Total
|
25
|
25
|
25
|
75
|
* Majority independent Jumma candidates were
supported by all quarters of Jumma people.
Names of the winning
Chairmen:
Rangamati district:
1.
Mr. Arun Kanti Chakma, Rangamati sadar upazila
2.
Mr. Bara Rwishi Chakma, Baghaichari upazila
3.
Ms. Moni Chakma, Barkal upazila
4.
Mr. Uday Joy Chakma, Jurachari upazila
5.
Shuva Mongal Chakma, Bilaichari upazila
6.
Shaktiman Chakma, Naniarchar upazila
7.
S M Chowdhury, Kaukhali upazila
8.
Uthin Sin Marma, Rajasthali upazila
Khagrachari district
9.
Chanchu Moni Chakma, Khagrachari sadar upazila
10.
Sorbottam Chakma, Panchari upazila
11.
Bimal Kanti Chakma, Mahalchari upazila
12.
Mragya Marma, Manikchari upazila
13.
Super Jyoti Chakma, Laxmichari upazila
14.
Naba Kamal Chakma, Dighinala upazila
Bandarban district
15.
Kyew Hla Ching, Thanchi upazila
16.
Aung Thowai Ching, Ruma upazila
17.
Kyawba Mong Marma, Rowangchari upazila
18.
Thowai Nue Aung, Lama upazila
Names of the winning
Vice Chairmen:
Rangamati district:
1.
Palash Kusum Chakma, Rangamati sadar upazila
2.
Diptiman Chakma, Baghaichari upazila
3.
Bidhan Chakma, Barkal upazila
4.
Ritan Chakma, Jurachari upazila
5.
Amrita Sen Tanchangya, Bilaichari upazila
6.
Rana Bikash Chakma, Naniarchari upazila
7.
Mong Shwe U Chowdhury, Kaukhali upazila
8.
Aung Nue Ching Marma, Rajathali upazila
9.
Subrata Bikash Tanchangya, Kaptai upazila
Khagrachari district
10.
Ranik Tripura, Khagrachari sadar upazila
11.
Kyew Chi Ming Chowdhury, Mahalchari upazila
12.
Aungya Prue Marma, Laxmichari upazila
13.
Susamoy Chakma, Dighina upazila
Bandarban district
14.
Kaintop Mro, Alikadam upazila
15.
Chasa Thowai Marma, Thanchi upazila
16.
Jingsamalian Bawm, Ruma upazila
17.
Kyaw Sai Nu, Rowangchari upazila
Names of the winning
Vice Chairmen (female):
Rangamati district:
1.
Rita Chakma, Rangamati sadar upazia
2.
Sumita Chakma, Baghaichari upazila
3.
Shakuntala Chakma, Barkal upazila
4.
Shefali Chakma, Jurachari upazila
5.
Shyama Chakma, Bilaichari upazila
6.
Kuality Chakma, Naniarchari upazila
7.
Eni Chakma Kripa, Kaukhali upazila
8.
Kroi Suiu Marma, Rajasthali upazila
Khagrachari
9.
Beuty Rani Tripura, Khagrachari sadar upazila
10.
Ratna Tanchangya, Panchari upazila
11.
Kakali Khisa, Mahalchari upazila
12.
Gopa Devi Chakma, Dighinala
Bandarban district
13.
Waching Prue Marma, Bandarban sadar upazila
14.
Byari Marma, Alikadam upazila
15.
Bakuli Marma, Thanchi upazila
16.
King Eng Moy Bawm, Ruma upazila
17.
Ma U Sang, Rowangchari upazila
Plain land:
18.
Ms Ranjita Sharma, Vice Chairman (female), Juri Upazila, Moulvibazar
district
19.
Rosina Soren, Vice Chairman (female), Ghoraghat Upazila, Dinajpur
district
20.
Protima Rani Rajowar, Vice Chairman (female), Nachol Upazila,
Chapainawabgonj
