Tashi Phuntsho | Phuentsholing

With officials deputed to all the 65 polling stations across 11 gewogs, Chukha was ready for the poll day.

Of the 28,022 eligible voters, the returning officer issued 4,360 postal ballots including 12 for overseas voters. However, the RO office has received more than 4,000 postal ballots, none from overseas.

Envelope A of the postal ballot was opened yesterday, and Envelope B will be opened today.

Each polling station is headed by the presiding officer, and manned by two polling officers, two security personnel, and two de-suups for distant stations.

Of the 11 gewogs, Getana Gewog has one of the farthest polling stations and the officials had walked almost four hours from the nearest road. The officials were deployed on 18th April.

The officials attended a refresher course on the basic operations of EVM and other protocols before leaving for their posts.

“Before the voting starts at 8am, the officials should get ready without any hindrance,” an election official said.

The dzongkhag administration arranged pool vehicles for the deployment of the officials to their polling stations.

The election officer said that since there are three National Council candidates from Phuentsholing throm and nearby gewogs, this year, the Returning Office is set up in Phuentsholing.

The dzongkhag has 28,022 eligible voters including 14,162 female voters.

There are four NC candidates for Chukha dzongkhag. Damcho Gyeltshen from Loggchina Gewog, Hem Prasad Rai from Phuentsholing Gewog, Bongo Gewog’s candidate and the incumbent NC member Sangay Dorji, and Phuentsholing Thromde’s Tandin Wangchuk.

Maedtabkha, Samphelling, Doongna, Geling, Getena, Darla, Chhapcha, and Bjagchhog gewogs did not nominate any candidates.

Of the 11 gewogs, Darla Gewog has the highest number of eligible voters with 6,409 and the lowest in Maedtabkha Gewog with 542.

The counting centre has seven counting officials, including the Returning Officer, three election officials, security personal, and the national observer.