As the election season approaches, the usual signs of political excitement are strikingly absent. There are no loudspeakers blaring campaign songs, no processions, and no crowded rallies. The few political leaders who do visit are met with weary indifference.
Social activist Abdul Akher explained why enthusiasm has faded. “The people of the char are no longer interested in politics. They only worry about river erosion and food. They don’t vote because their stomachs are empty," he said.
Beyond poverty, Kurigram grapples with deep-rooted social challenges, including child marriage and widespread disability.
According to recent data, 91,672 people in the district live with disabilities — many of them in the char regions.
Experts link this to chronic malnutrition, poverty, and teenage motherhood.
Educationist and political analyst Khaja Sharif Uddin Ahmed said the growing disillusionment among char residents stems from years of neglect. “They are submerged in floods for half the year, losing their homes and livelihoods. In this reality, voting has become a luxury for them,” he said.
He warned that unless political parties move beyond promises and prioritize real development and rehabilitation, they risk losing the trust of these forgotten communities altogether.
Kurigram’s infrastructural backwardness, unemployment and recurring natural disasters have kept it among the most neglected districts in the country.
Many displaced families still live in makeshift shelters, waiting for relief that often arrives too late, and never lasts.
Arafat Rahman of Char Bhurungamari in Bhurungamari upazila summed up the prevailing mood, saying: "Voting does not bring jobs or houses. We only see elections on TV, not in real life.”
Survival actually overshadows all else. Karim Mia, an elderly resident of Char Shaulmari Union in Rowmari upazila, said life in the chars is a battle against both hunger and the river itself.
“During elections, we only get words — not work. That’s why we no longer care about voting,” he said quietly, gazing towards the river that has claimed his land more than once.
For Kurigram’s char dwellers, the ballot box holds no promise, he said. “Their struggle continues, not for votes, but for life itself.”