“Should money be out of the equation, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) has a very good chance to win. I repeat, should money be out of the equation, this year will be something totally different,” DNT president Lotay Tshering said at DNT’s campaign in Lhmoidzingkhag-Tashiding constituency yesterday.

A new party can never have a better chance than DNT in 2018, he added.

He started his familiarization tour from Dagana and will end the campaign here today.

DNT chose Dagana to wrap up its campaign for two reasons. According to the Population and Housing Census 2017, Dagana is the poorest among the 20 dzongkhags and it goes perfectly with the party’s vision of narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

Although centrally located, Dagana has been left out because all national highways have bypassed the dzongkhag.

“Nyamrup is motivated to uplift the poor, narrow the gap, and make Dagana powerful again,” he said. “Vote is just a number and DNT values every vote equally. It is wrong to focus on just vote banks.”

Another reason for choosing Dagana, he said, was because Daga Trashiyangtse Dzong symbolized Bhutan’s unification. And so, to bring people together who are otherwise divided by political affiliations to work together is DNT’s dream.

During the campaign, the president reminded voters in Dagana to think carefully before casting their vote.

He said that he did not come to Danaga to steal votes and that DNT would not bribe people. “We are here to offer you a better choice.”

Health reform is DNT’s priority. Should DNT come to power, he said the health system would be reformed in five years a way others would take 20 years. He also highlighted the party’s pledge to do away with mobile voucher tax and removing cut off point for Class X students to narrow the gap.

He also thanked Druk Phuensum Tshogpa for building Gewog Centre (GC) and farms roads during their tenure and People’s Democratic party for blacktopping the GC roads.

Should DNT come to power, he said all farm roads would have proper drainages and base course.

“We’ll blacktop roads to all monasteries, mandhirs, and BHUs,” he said. “And we’ll ensure that farmers need not maintain farm roads.”

President Lotay Tshering also reminded the people to analyze the party pledges and manifestos carefully. “We’re here to tell you what we can do for the nation and the people besides whose activities that are already included in the 12th Plan.”

Nirmala Pokhrel | Dagapela

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