Paro saw 60.23 percent voter turnout 

Before even the returning officer had finished compiling the poll day results yesterday evening, Paro’s NC-elect, Ugyen Tshering, 49, was convinced that he had won.

He won 4,763 votes out of 10,973 to secure a landslide victory against five other NC candidates from Paro. He also got the highest postal ballots – 646.

Sonam Tashi followed with 2,491 votes, of which 455 was postal ballots.

Dawchu secured 1,101 votes, Ugyen Dorji got 985, Jangchub Dorji and Chencho Dorji secured 945 and 688 respectively.

Ugyen Tshering said that he was confident that the people of Paro would give him a chance to serve them.

“The result was as I expected. I knew the ground reality and I understood that people of Paro will support me when I went for familiarisation tour,” Ugyen Tshering said. “I will do my best to serve the people and the nation.”

Voters Kuensel talked to said that capability and experience is what they look for in an NC candidate.

Another voter, Gaki, 75, from Dopshar-ri, who reached the polling station around 8am yesterday, said, “I was excited to vote.”

Chencho, 72, from Tsento who came to cast his vote at the Drukgyel Higher Secondary School (DHSS) yesterday that the common forums and debate on Bhutan Broadcasting Services (BBS) helped him pick his choice of candidate.

Of his 14 children who are all eligible voters, 11 came to cast their votes with him at the DHSS.

“My two children will cast their vote from Punakha and Bumthang where they currently reside,” he said. “One of my son, who is abroad, voted through conventional postal ballot.”

The office of the returning officer in Paro issued 983 conventional postal ballots and 1,509 people registered for the postal facilitation and mobile booth. Of a total of 1,768 ballots the office received, 128 ballots were rejected. One was declared invalid.

Dechen Tshomo | Paro

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