Bye-election:  After three months without a gup and two bye-elections, Mongar gewog finally has a gup.

The gewog elected Rinzin 49, who contested against Tharpa Gyeltshen, 31, in the second bye-election held yesterday.

Of the 790 voters including 13 postal ballots, Ketongri-Themnangbe chiwog’s candidate Rinzin secured 421 votes with seven postal ballots while Tharpa Gyeltshen, secured 369 with six postal ballots.

Gup elect Rinzin said he didn’t participate in the first bye-election to give opportunity to the younger candidates. “It didn’t happen,” he said.

The gup elect has already prioritised maintenance  of gewog roads and providing electricity while completing the work left by the late gup who was killed in a car accident in January.

Voters said that without a gup, people faced problem on a daily basis as a lot of work got stuck. “Whenever the mangmi, who was the officiating gup was out for official work, people had to wait for a whole day,” Photshorong tshogpa, Tashi Dorji said.

Gup elect Rinzin is a lay monk and also served as the chiwog tshogpa and secretary of a farmers’ group in his village.

By Tashi Phuntsho, Mongar