The two women gup aspirants failed to secure majority votes

Haa: Some former gups in Haa were not nominated from the chiwog zomdu. Those who did, their destiny ended on the poll day yesterday. Haa went for a change.

Katsho gewog got a graduate gup, Kencho, who secured 287 votes. During the campaign, he said he spent most of his life away from the village and not many knew him. He worked with the Royal University of Bhutan before resigning to contest for the post.

He not only won against the former gup from the chiwog zomdu, but also secured more votes than the other two candidates, Phub Dema and Sonam Wangchuk, who spent all their lives in the village.

Phub Dema, the only women candidate in the gewog and former tshogpa, got 128 votes while Sonam Wangchuk secured 200 votes.

Bji gewog also had the choice of electing an educated gup who served 39 years of his life in civil service, Kaka Tshering. But he secured the least votes of the three candidates in Bji gewog with 227 votes. Another gup contestant, Rinchen Dawa, secured 246 votes.

Bji elected former mangmi, Passang, as their new gup.

In a battle between the former gup, Tenzin Jamba and former geydrung, Nima Tshering in Uesu gewog, the latter secured a landslide victory with 558 votes against 298.

Similarly in Gakiling, Nim Dorji lost to Gashey with 389 votes to 311.

In Sangbaykha gewog, 63-year-old Gembo Tshering, who is pursuing his final attempt to head the gewog for another term after a 13-year gap, failed. He could secure only 151 votes.

Another candidate, Samdrup, 45, who comes with 13 years of experience in serving the local government as a geydrung and twice as a mangmi also failed in his attempt to rise to the occasion with 258 votes.

It was Thinley, who secured 303 votes and will head the gewog. He was the last gup before democracy was introduced.

In Samar gewog, the former gup and the DT chairperson Tshewang Tandin secured 205 votes, five votes less than Tshewang Tobgay, who won the elections.

The only woman candidate in the gewog, Sonam Dema secured 196 votes, Nidup Dorji secured 194 votes and Sangay Dorji got 77 votes.

Tshering Dorji | Haa