Tsirang: Tsirang elected six former gups of Barshong, Mendrelgang, Doonglagang, Tsirang Toed, Rangthaling and Pungtenchhu gewog and six new gups in the second Local Government election yesterday, according to the provisional result.

In Barshong, former gup Santa Lal Powdel won with 389 votes defeating his three opponents. With this victory, the former Mendrelgang gup Yeshi will be serving for two decades as gup. He won a landslide victory securing 472 votes, of which 96 were postal votes.

Gup-elect Yeshi credits his victory solely to the voters of Mendrelgang gewog. “I’ll live up to their expectation and work harder to make their lives better,” he said.

Patshaling gewog chose a new gup, Chabi Kumar Rai, who secured 488 votes, 206 more than the former gup Changa Tshering. Rangthaling gewog also voted for the former gup Bal Bahadur Tamang. He won with 768 votes. Having secured 784 votes, former gup Kharka Bahadur Pradhan won in Doonglagang gewog.

Securing almost 50 percent more votes than the former gup, Beda Moni Chamlagai won as the gup of Kilkhorthang gewog. Tsholingkhar gewog went for a fresh candidate, Passang Thingh Tamang, who defeated the former gup by a majority. He secured 938 votes, 626 votes more than the former gup. Passang Thingh Tamang had also contested for the National Council election in 2013.

In Gosarling gewog, among the four candidates, Ram Bahadur Karki won after securing 253 EVM votes and 23 postal votes. A new candidate, Tom Nath Acharja, defeated the former gup in Semjong gewog by securing 456 votes. Similarly in Sergithang gewog, Man Bir Rai won by securing 512 votes, 287 votes more than the former gup Dhana Pati Sanyasi.

It was a landslide victory for the former gup Shiva Lal Kararia in Pungtenchhu gewog. He secured 561 votes, of which 65 were postal votes. Tsirang Toed voted for the former gup Nar Bahadur Rai, who won after securing 302 votes.

The lone woman gup candidate of Tsirang who contested from Mendrelgang gewog against two male candidates secured the lowest votes at 192. Of the five female candidates who contested for the post of mangmi in Tsirang, only one got elected. The female mangmi-elect Sonam Lhamo is from Kilkhorthang gewog.

At least 13 female candidates had contested for the post of tshogpa in Tsriang, of which only four won. The dzongkhag thromde ngotshab for Tsirang is Kunzang Tenzin, who secured 44 votes.

Tsirang saw an overall voter turn out of 60 percent. Of the registered 21,411 voters, 12,646 turned up. Among the total votes cast, 1,434 were postal.

Nirmala Pokhrel | Tsirang