The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Samtse has four constituencies with the total number registered voters at 47,360. Only 28,568 turned up to vote in the primary round. This makes the voter turnout of 60.3 percent combining both Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Postal Ballots (PB).
Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) took two of the four constituencies in Samtse, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) managed to secure highest votes in one constituency each.
DNT won in Ugyentse- Yoeseltse and Tashichhoeling constituencies with 3,177 votes and 2,375 votes respectively. The party also received highest number of votes via PB in both constituencies.
PDP won from Phuentshopelri with 2,463 votes although the PB votes favoured DNT.
DPT dominated Dophuchen- Tading with 2,679 total votes even though DNT secured the highest votes via PB in the constituency.
DNT’s candidate in Tashichoeling, Dil Maya Rai, said the party’s win is attributed to the strength of the team and leadership of the party president. “We have a good membership base and convincing manifesto,” she added that the voters have become wiser in choosing the party comparably, given the decade of experience in democratic form of government.
“Personally, the expectation for winning was little, but the result was overwhelming, considering that I am the first woman candidate from the constituency,” she said that this reflects the strong understanding of the people. “I was scared that the voters would be lured by the bribes and false information, but this didn’t happen this time.”
She is hopeful that PDP and Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party (BKP) voters will vote for DNT in the general round. “We need not worry, for the people will naturally go the party which represents change, as a responsible citizen.”
DNT’s Dophuchen-Tading candidate, Loknath Sharma, pointed out that the anti-incumbency factor could also attribute to the party’s win in the general round. “People definitely want change, and we offer them that chance.”
