With a total of 30,183 registered voters, Sarpang is the fourth largest dzongkhag after Trashigang, Samtse and Mongar in terms of the voter population. The dzongkhag is important to political parties in the primaries.
However, there was no contest as Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) won both the constituencies in Sarpang, although Gelephu constituency saw a close contest between DNT and Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT).
Out of the total of 8,115 valid votes cast in Shompangkha constituency, DNT secured 3,271 votes, including both postal and EVM votes. DNT’s closest rival People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secured 2,519 votes in Shompangkha.
DPT came third with 1,342 votes, followed by Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party (BKP), which secured 983 votes in the constituency in the overall vote count.
Shompangkha constituency received a total of 5,945 EVM votes and 2,170 postal ballots.
In Gelephu constituency, DNT, which secured 3,488 votes, defeated its closest rival DPT by 120 votes. DPT secured 3,368 votes in the constituency.
However, DPT beat DNT in EVM votes. DPT received 1,998 EVM votes while DNT received 1,926 followed by PDP with 1,613 EVM votes. BKP received 962 EVM votes in Gelephu.
Gelephu constituency received a total of 9,758 votes. BKP beat PDP, which came last in the constituency. BKP secured a total of 1,466 votes while PDP received a total of 1,436 votes.
PDP secured a total of 1,436 votes, of which 1,613 were EVM and 823 were postal ballots.
There are a total of 17,242 voters in the Gelephu constituency and 12,941 in the Sompangkha constituency. The numbers include EVM voters, conventional postal voters and those who registered for the postal ballot facility booths.
One of the voters from Shompangkha gewog, Gobin Prassad Panda, said that he would like to see the wining parties to act like a bridge between the people and the King. The 73-year-old former health worker said that he wished to see the country move towards prosperity.
A BKP member Kewal Ram Ghimiray from Sarpang said that BKP could not win because it was a new party. “Our party could not be present on the grassroots like other did,” he said, adding that the party would come stronger in the next election.
A member of DNT, Sonam Wangdi, said that it was his party’s manifesto, among other factors, that handed the party a comfortable win in the dzongkhag. “I am happy with the result,” he said.
A DPT supporter at the Pelrithang poling centre in Gelephu said that he was satisfied with the outcome although the party came second in Gelephu. “We can do better in the general round,” he said.
MB Subba | Sarpang