DPT’s Duptho and PDP’s Thukten Tshering

NA ELECTIONS : TRASHIYANGTSE 22 March, 2008 - It has just been a few weeks since the black-necked cranes left their winter roosting grounds in Bumdeling and flew back to Tibet and the people in Trashiyangtse held their ribald festival of Gomphu Kora.

Now, the farming season is coming soon with dapa (wooden bowls) and desho (traditional paper) making going hand in hand in Yangtse and Bumdeling gewogs. The annual Melom Chenmo is still not over after rounds of Changa (15th) and Namgang Kora (30th).

But what has ended are the political campaigns in the run-up to Bhutan’s first general elections. DPT had its last round of campaigning yesterday in presence of party candidates of the two constituencies, coinciding with the 15th of this lunar month. PDP ended their campaign days ago.

For a staunch DPT supporter like Thinley Dhendup, 48, from Yangtse town, DPT is the party with the experienced bunch of ex-ministers, who can best serve the purpose of the people. “I’m 70-80 percent sure that DPT will win this election in our constituency,” he said.

For Tshewang Rinzin, 50, from Gangkhar Dung, the party presidents are like two hands. “I can’t say who is better and who’s not,” he said.

For Kinzang Dema, 26, from Tshaling, PDP is the party she is voting for. “I first thought of voting for it and I don’t want to change my mind,” she said.

Thukten Tshering, the PDP candidate for Bumdeling-Jamkhar constituency, is a soft-spoken man with an enthusiastic disposition. “Despite my late appearance in party politics, I’m not at all deterred by the fact that I didn’t go on the familiarization trip. I have a solid set of experienced party supporters in all gewogs. My supporters are all those who have a direct bearing on the people since they are ex-gups and chimis who have served the government and people for a long time,” he said. He projected a 99 percent vote for PDP from Jamkhar geog, 50 percent from Tongzhang, 60-70 percent from Yangtse gewog and 50 percent from Bumdeling gewog. I’ve always tried to be cooperative and less individualistic during my campaign,” he said.

For Duptho, a friendly, suave, neat man, who drinks a lot of hot water, his campaign was all about reminding and educating voters about setting a foundation for a clean democracy. He said that he was not worried about winning or losing but his concern as an educated party candidate was to convey the right message to people. “My only priority is to gain the trust and confidence of the people,” he said.

The dzongkhag party coordinator for DPT of the constituency projected 95 percent votes from Bumdeling gewog, 75 percent from Yangtse gewog, 80 percent from Tongzhang gewog and 40 percent from Jamkhar geog.

For people of Yangtse as a whole, they do not mind which party wins the election. Sangay Ngedup is credited with having initiated the hospital and agricultural activities in the dzongkhag and Jigmi Thinley initiated the creation of Trashiyangtse as a separate dzongkhag.