Ugyen Dorji

Mongar — A total of 3,529 voters from Mongar actively participated in the fifteen-day common forums (CF) during the ongoing campaign for the General Election 2023-2024.

This marked a decrease of nearly 400 voters compared to the primary round elections, where a total of 3,965 voters engaged in the common forum.

 The CF in Mongar concluded on December 29.

Mongar, housing three constituencies, boasts a total of 38,727 registered voters, including 18,579 males and 20,148 females spread across 15 gewogs.

Within the Mongar constituency, which has 11,669 registered voters, 1,076 individuals (753 females and 323 males) attended the CF in 23 different venues. In the primary election, 1,168 voters participated in the common forum.

In the primary election, 1,423 voters utilized postal ballots, and 1,607 voted through EVM.

The Dramedtse-Ngatshang constituency, with 14,885 eligible registered voters (7,724 females and 7,161 males), saw 1,426 voters participating in the CF across 25 locations in seven gewogs. 

This marked a decrease of approximately 200 voters compared to the primary round election.

In the primary election, 1,527 voters cast postal ballots, while 2,111 used EVM.

Similarly, in the Kengkhar-Weringla constituency, which has 12,173 registered voters, 1,027 individuals (658 females and 369 males) participated in the CF across 29 different venues. This reflected a decrease of about 100 voters from the primary election.

In the primary election, 1,488 voters utilized postal ballots, and 1,238 voted through EVM.

Despite rigorous voter education efforts, election officials noted a lower voter turnout. The dzongkhag boasts a high voter population, but the low turnout is attributed to the majority residing in villages.

Officials suggested that the increased participation in the primary round CF was due to the presence of more political parties and their supporters. With only two parties in the general round, it appears that only the supporters of these two parties attended the forum.

Another factor could be the use of social media platforms by political party candidates and the accessibility of public debates, reducing the need for attendance at CF.

With just a few days remaining until the poll day, voters have already decided on their preferred party. Regardless of the election outcome, voters express hope that the elected government will address pressing community issues, including challenges related to drinking water, irrigation, and motorable roads.

Candidates from all three constituencies have pledged to address these immediate concerns facing the people.

Meanwhile, out of 331 eligible individuals registered for the special early voting service in Mongar, 319 cast their votes.