In Paro, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) won both the constituencies in the dzongkhag.

In the Lamgong-Wangchang constituency, DNT’s Ugyen Tshering won.

One of the DNT party supporters said that people were impressed due to the pledges and doable plans of the party. “The win is attributed mainly to the health pledge, I believe. Although the country enjoys free health facilities, people in remote places do not have direct access to facilities available at the national referral hospital.”

He said that people must have placed their faith in the party’s pledges, as health services would be made readily available for people who have difficulty.

The party supporter said that he expected the party to win about 27 constituencies and that winning in 30 constituencies was quite unexpected. “In upper Paro, we thought that DPT would win.”

He said that DNT’s president Lotay Tshering visited the constituency twice and campaigned hard, which must have made all the difference.

In the primary round, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s (DPT) candidate, Phub Tshering, secured the highest number of votes – 2,387 in the constituency.

While the people in Paro chose both the DNT and DPT in the primaries, this time round the people of both the constituencies went for the DNT.

In the Lamgong-Wangchang, of the 7,062 voters, the DNT candidate secured 3,566 votes.

Ugyen Tshering secured 50.49 percent of votes. Phub Tshering managed to secure 49.50 percent of votes. The difference was only about 70 votes.

While the DNT’s candidate secured more postal votes, the DPT’s candidate secured more EVM votes.

Ugyen Tshering said that he was confident to win.  “We worked hard as a team. We had no time to criticise other’s pledges. The difference in the number of votes were not much in the primaries, which was why I was motivated to work harder this time.”

Ugyen Tshering said his focus would be issues that concern youth. “The roads connectivity and water issues are already included in the five year plans.”

DNT’s Namgay Tshering from Dokar-Shaba secured the highest number of votes from the constituency. Unlike upper Paro, the people of the constituency expected DNT to win.

Namgay Tshering secured 4,155 votes and DPT’s Chencho Dorji got 2,112.

DNT won in both postal and EVM votes with huge difference in the constituency.

Rinchen Zangmo