Nganglam constituency has been Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s stronghold for the past three parliamentary elections. But voters went for a change this time. They elected Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa’s 45-year-old Karma Dorji as their MP-elect during yesterday’s bye-election. He is one of the founding members of the DNT party.
Karma Dorji contested and lost in the 2018 parliamentary elections by securing only 1,976 votes from the total 5,552 votes. But this time, he won the bye-elections by securing 2,951 votes from around 5,200 votes. The win broke DPT’s absolute majority in Nganglam constituency in Pema Gatshel. Druk Phuensum Tshogpa and its candidates have been winning in all the past NA elections except for this bye-election.
Anticipating changes and developments, people voted for the ruling party due to the advantages of having an MP from the ruling party.
“I have been supporting DPT till date. But this time we went for a change. We thought that if DPT wins then the power to expedite developmental activities won’t be the same as that of the ruling party. Most of us thought that if the ruling party wins then people would be benefitted more. So, we decided to vote for the ruling party,” said Dechen, one of the voters.
“We come from a humble background and cannot afford to go to the referral hospitals. So, if a bigger hospital gets established here then it would be helpful to everyone. It will also reduce the expenditure costs. Keeping the pledges in mind, we voted for the DNT candidate and we are happy with the election results,” added Kinzang Rabten.
During the bye-election’s common forum, DNT candidate Karma Dorji had pledged to construct a 50-bedded hospital with X-ray and endoscopy in Nganglam. He also pledged to address the acute water shortage in the gewog through the government’s Nu 3bn water flagship programme.
“Nganglam is in need of a hospital. The government plans to construct a 25- bedded hospital. But with more developmental activities and the increasing population here in Nganglam, there is a need for a bigger hospital. So that’s why I prioritized and pledged to have a 50-bedded hospital among other activities,” said Karma Dorji, the MP-elect.
From the 7,426 eligible voters, more than 70 per cent of them cast their votes during the bye-election.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
