Thukten Zangpo
Five of the seven aspiring National Council (NC) candidates from Paro have been nominated.
Dhamngoi Zomdu (nomination meeting) in Paro ended at Paro Throm yesterday.
Loong-nyi Gewog on February 28 nominated a lone candidate, Gyeltshen Dukpa, with 303 ‘yes’ votes and 38 ‘no’ votes.
Prior to contesting for the NC election, a 56-year-old served as chief forestry officer under the then Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. He has a Master of Science in Environmental Management and Restoration from Charles Sturt University in Australia.
Loong-nyi Gewog saw 341 voters cast votes.
Jigme, 40, was nominated from Sharpa Gewog after securing 533 votes on March 2. His opponent, Norbu, secured 230 votes—763 voters cast their votes.
Jigme has a Master in Engineering (Power System) degree from the University of Western Australia. He worked as Senior Divisional Manager in Bhutan Power Corporation’s Paro ESD.
Zecko, 53, from Dokar Gewog, secured 394 ‘yes’ votes and 37 ‘no’ votes. He worked as chief trade officer under the Export Promotion Division of the Department of Trade. He also has a Master of Science in Information Technology degree from King Mongkut’s University of Technology, North Bangkok, Thailand.
Dhamngoi Zomdu in Dokar saw 431 voters come to cast their votes.
Incumbent Ugyen Tshering, 53, was nominated from Lamgong Gewog securing 686 votes. His opponent, Ugyen Lhendup, secured 416 votes. Ugyen Tshering has a Bachelor of Commerce from Sherubtse College.
Wangchang Gewog nominated Ugyen Dorji, 43, for the NC seat. He secured 211 ‘yes’ votes and 7 ‘no’ votes. Ugyen Dorji, a contractor for Barko Construction, has a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Sona College, Anna University, Tamil Nadu, India.
Out of the 10 gewogs in Paro, there was no nominee from five gewogs, namely Doteng, Dopshari, Hoongrel, Nagya, Tsento, and Paro Throm.
Dhamngoi Zomdu in Paro saw 3,194 voters come to vote.
Five nominated candidates from the zomdu will now contest the upcoming NC election scheduled on April 20.
There were six candidates in the 2018 NC election, five in 2013 and four in 2008.