If postal ballot made the difference in many dzongkhags, it was not the case in Gasa.

Despite getting only 15 postal ballots, Laya’s candidate Dorji Khandu won the election from Gasa beating Dr Phurb Dorji and Kinley Dorji.

Dorji Khandu won 532 votes out of the 1,333 cast at 11 polling stations in the northern most dzongkhag. Dr Phurb Dorji won the highest postal ballot votes of 116 from 178 total postal ballot votes.

The council elect claimed that he was confident to win from Laya and Lunana gewogs where the majority of voters were concentrated. “I was with the people and I know their issues, the problems concerning people of Gasa.”

He added that his experience of campaigning in 2013 as Khatoed-Laya candidate helped him while campaigning for the council. “I could win the peoples’ trust this time. Public debate helped gain voters’ confidence in me,” he said.

With light shower in the morning in Gasa, the polling stations received good voter turnout only towards the afternoon. Of the total 2,000 voters, 1,511 turned up to vote. Three postal ballots got rejected.

Kinley Dorji secured 436 votes, of which 389 were from EVM and 47 from the postal ballot.

Following poor voter turnout at the telephonic common forum held in Lunana gewog last week, the gewog received less than 50 percent of voter turnout on poll day too.

“I will serve them with the best of my ability and strongly work towards strengthening Good to Great Gasa initiatives, which I feel would benefit the people with community-based business opportunities,” the council-elect said.

Nima | Gasa