LG: Aspiring candidates to contest the upcoming thromde elections should get ready for a busy new year at the polls. The election commission on December 25 will announce the election date for the three thromdes of Thimphu, Phuentsholing and Gelephu.

The commission through a notification yesterday called aspiring candidates to “keep ready necessary documents” required for a candidate to stand for the posts of thrompon and thromde tshogpa. The documents should be produced to the election commission as soon as the election process starts, the election commission notified.

The local governments would be reconstituted on the date their term expires as per the electoral laws.

Should the incumbent thrompons and the tshogpas decide to re-contest, they must relinquish their office. However, the resignation of the incumbents would not affect the functioning of the thromdes.

In the build up to the thromde polls, the election commission will hold public meetings in Thimphu thromde as part of its voter education programme.

Officiating director for the department of electoral registration and delimitation Sonam Tobgay said during the voter education programme, people would be encouraged to come up as candidates and voters would be informed about their rights.

“All voters will be called to attend the meeting where we will talk about the electoral process among others,” he said.

Sonam Tobgay said election officials will also inform people about the criteria for candidates. There are seven constituencies in Thimphu thromde.

Meanwhile, the election commission on December 15 issued the draft electoral roll of the three thromdes for verification. Voters are asked to verify their details and any mistakes in electoral roll should be submitted to the dzongkhag electoral officer for correction within 10 days of the publication of the electoral roll.

According to the election Act, an electoral roll for the constituency should be published and made available for public inspection during office hours at the office of the concerned dzongkhag electoral registration officer.

The draft electoral roll can be viewed at the election commission’s website www.election-bhutan.org.bt by punching the voter identity card or citizenship identity card number.

The election commission has also notified the registered voters of the three thromdes to apply for postal ballot before December 20. Registration can be done at the nearest dzongkhag election office.

MB Subba