Election: The dzongkhag thromde of Pemagatshel, Denchi, has been divided into six constituencies, which will be represented by as many tshogpas in future.

The constituencies comprise Denchi Baar, Denchi Shar, Denchi Toed, Denchi Maed, Denchi Woong and Marung. The election commission of Bhutan last week finalized the draft delimitation plan.

The draft boundaries were demarcated based on the number of plots and households that are expected to come up in future. “Since there is no voter population at the moment, the delimitation was based on the proposed plot reconfiguration and the plotting thereof as prepared by the works and human settlement ministry,” officiating director of electoral registration and delimitation department, Sonam Tobgay, said.

“We delimitated the thromde based on voter population that’s expected to come up in future and as per the election Act,” he said.

The election commission will hold the public hearing of the draft delimitation plan on January 29 at the Pemagatshel middle secondary school hall. The public hearing will provide opportunity for interested voters to express their views, which could be taken into consideration in the final delimitation order.

The election commission will deliberate on the views and comments from the public hearing on February 8.

The draft boundaries have come two months after the joint sitting of the Parliament endorsed the dzongkhag thromde on November 26, last year. The endorsement in favour of Denchi was made based on the principles of balanced regional development and decentralization.

According to the election commission, the tshogpa constituencies were determined in accordance with the provisions of the election Act and the demkhong rules and regulations.

Each dzongkhag thromde should have a minimum of seven and maximum of 10 members, including the thrompon. And thromdes with registered voter population of 5,000 or less can have six constituencies.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s declaration of Denchi as the dzongkhag thromde and Paro’s yenlag thromdes at Bueltikha and Nganglam as Pemagatshel’s yenlag thromde has affected the gewog boundaries of four gewogs and five chiwogs in the two dzongkhags.

There are 200 registered voters in Bueltikha and 228 in Nganglam.

The maps showing the changed boundaries of the gewogs and chiwogs will be issued in due course of time, according to the election commission.

MB Subba 

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