Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa’s (DNT) decision to wrap up its campaign in Dagana made a difference to the party yesterday at the primaries.

It bagged 9,199 votes in the two constituencies, 1,517 votes more than People’s Democratic Party’s 7,682 votes, according to the provisional results.

DNT secured the highest votes in Drukjyegang-Tseza constituency, 3,639 electronic voting machine (EVM) votes and 2,425 postal ballot votes. In the other constituency, Lhamoi Dzingkha-Tashiding, the party secured 1,925 votes through EVM and 1,210 through postal ballots.

While PDP secured 3,631 EVM and 1,531 postal votes in Drukjyegang-Tseza constituency, the party won 1,822 EVM votes and 698 postal votes in Lhamoi Dzingkha- Tashiding constituency.

Although Druk Phuensum Tshogpa managed to secure 2,026 total votes including 938 postal votes in Drukjyegang-Tseza, the party garnered only 874 votes, of which 429 were postal ballot in Lhamoi Dzingkha-Tashiding.

Bhutan Kuen-Nyam party secured 1,745 and 634 in Drukjyegang-Tseza and Lhamoi Dzingkha-Tashiding respectively. This includes 712 postal votes.

The number of voters turning up to attend the campaign by the president early this week indicated DNT’s hold on Dagana. People from as far as Dorona and Nimtola, one of the most remote gewogs in Dagana had come down to Dagapela just to hear DNT president.

“Change is must and DNT’s pledges are most relevant to the rural people,” one of the voters, Budha, 32, had said during the campaign meeting in Dagapela recently.

Voters in Dagana were also of the view that should the former government be given a chance, the country could be taken to new heights. “What it could not complete doing in five year, they could carry on for another five years,” another voter had said during the same campaign meeting.

Meanwhile, the poll day yesterday ended without any problems, besides the weather. It brought 22,160 voters to the 46 polling booths set up in the two constituencies of Dagana. The dzongkhag has a total of 24,570 registered voters.

Nirmala Pokhrel | Tsirang

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