Yangyel Lhaden

A total of 359 individuals with disabilities and those who are unable to walk to polling booths in Dagana and Tsirang cast their votes during the three-day special early voting period, which ended yesterday.

For the fourth National Assembly elections, the Election Commission of Bhutan facilitated this service for persons with disabilities and those individuals who would face challenges in traveling to the polling stations on the actual polling day. 

This service was extended to individuals dealing with chronic illnesses, bedridden conditions, elderly citizens, or those with mobility issues.

In Dagana, 270 out of the 290 registered voters eligible for special early voting cast their votes, of which 149 were female and 121 were male. There are 157 registered females and 133 registered males for special early voting in Dagana. 

In Dagana’s Dorona, Gesarling, Karmaling, Khebisa, and Tseza gewogs, the voter turnout is 100 percent. Dagana’s overall voter turnout for special early voting is 93.1 percent.

In Tsirang, out of 101 individuals registered for special early voting, 89 individuals cast their votes. There are 68 females and 33 males registered for special early voting, out of which 58 females and 31 males cast their votes. The voter turnout for special early voting in Tsirang is 88.1 percent.

Election officials said that some registered voters for special early voting could not vote because most were out of station for medical treatment, followed by some who had expired, and a few were found mentally unsound.

In total, 496,836 voters are eligible to vote in the fourth National Assembly elections, comprising 254,742 women and 242,094 men. 

Of the total registered voters in the country, 125,949 have opted for postal voting.

 A total of 2,165 eligible individuals had registered for the special early voting service with the Election Commission of Bhutan.