Hartal over parliamentary seats leaves Bagerhat's tourist spots deserted
Bagerhat is witnessing unrest following the Election Commission's decision to reduce the district's four parliamentary seats to three for the upcoming 13th national elections.
Leaders and activists of the All-Party Joint Committee have voiced strong opposition and called for a hartal, arguing that the move undermines local representation.
The political unrest has severely affected Bagerhat's tourism sector. A 48-hour hartal demanding the reinstatement of the parliamentary seats, which began Sunday morning, has left major tourist areas nearly deserted.
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Visitor numbers have sharply declined at key attractions, from the historic Sixty Dome Mosque to the Karamjal tourism and wildlife center in the Sundarbans, leaving local businesses and daily wage earners struggling to make ends meet.
Abdul Hakim, a shopkeeper in front of the Sixty Dome Mosque, said, "Normally, many tourists visit at this time. But since the hartal began, there have been no sales at all. Even with the shop open, there are no customers. It has become difficult to run a household."
Rahima Begum, another local vendor, added, "For those of us who live hand to mouth, the hartal is a huge hardship. Since morning, I haven't even sold a single cup of tea."
Md Zayed, custodian of the Sixty Dome Mosque, expressed concern over the drop in visitors. "Where hundreds used to come daily, now only a handful visit. This is also affecting our revenue collection," he said.
At the Karamjal Tourism and Wildlife Breeding Center, officer-in-charge Hawladar Azad Kabir confirmed that the hartal has left the facility nearly empty, with no daily visitors able to come and go as usual.
On 30 July, the EC proposed the reduction, and despite objections from locals, the three-seat arrangement was finalised in the gazette on 4 September.
According to the new gazette, the constituencies are Bagerhat-1 (Bagerhat Sadar, Chitalmari, Mollahat), Bagerhat-2 (Fakirhat, Rampal, Mongla), and Bagerhat-3 (Kachua, Morelganj, Sharankhola).
