भोटाङमा संसदिय चुनाउ सम्पन्न बिपक्षिय द्ल सत्तामा..... Opposition storms to power in Bhutan

राजेश शर्मा, कालिमन्युज, थिम्पू भूटान १३ जुलाई 2013। भारतको छिमेकी मित्र राष्ट भोटाङमा संसदिय चुनाउ आज सम्पन्न भयो ।३८,००० बर्ग किलो मिटर भएको राज्य भोटाङको आज २० जिल्लाहरुमा ३८१७९० मतदाताहरुले मत खसाले जसमा महिला जातिको संख्या १८७९१७ तथा पूरुषहरुको संख्या १९३८७३ रहेको चुनाउ आयोग सुत्रबाट जानकारी प्राप्त भएको छ । 

यस चुनाउमा राजनैतिक पार्टीको रुपमा दुइवटा दलहरु डुर्क फुन्छोम छोक्पा (डिपिटि) र पिपल्स डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी ले प्रतिद्वन्दिता गरेका थिए ।सत्तारुढ पार्टी डिपिटिको अध्यक्ष एंव भूतपूर्व प्रधान मंत्री जिगमे वाई थिन्ले बनाम पिडिपिको पार्टी अध्यक्ष छिरिंग तोब्गे माझ कडा टक्कर रहेको थियो। संवाददाताहरुले भोटाङको बिभिन्न चुनाउ मतदान केन्द्र तिर भ्रमण गर्दा मतदाताहरुले देशमा परिर्वतनको आवस्यकता रहेको बताए। 

भोटाङको राजधानीको एउटा मतदान केन्द्रमा भोटाङे मतदाता थिन्ले दोर्जीले भोट किन आवस्यक रहेको प्रश्न् राख्दा तिनले बताए कि भोटाङलाई पनि अन्य अंतराष्टीय देशहरु संग संबध बनाउनको निम्ति लोकतंत्र स्थापित गर्न आवश्यक छ तर भोटाङमा त राजा शासननै उत्तम रहेको पनि बताउदै तिनले भोटाङमा बिगत पाच सालमा लोकतंत्र भएपछि बिकासका धेरै कामहरु भएको बताए । 

भोटाङको सविधान अनूरुप करिबन ४५ हजार भोटाङे लामाहरुले मत नखसाल्ने अधिकार रहेको कारण भोटाङमा मतदानको संख्या कमि भएको सुत्रबाट खबर प्राप्त छ । ८० साल भएको भूटानी नागरीक उर्गेन दोर्जीले भने उनको आधा जीवन नै राजा शासनमा बितेको तर आज गएर यस्तो भोट हाल्न पर्दा उनलाई खासै रुचि नरहदा रहदै पनि भोट खसाल्न पने वाध्यता रहेकोमा असन्तुष्ट्ता ब्यक्त गरे । 

भोटाङ सरकारले आजको चुनाउमा सुरक्षाको इन्तजामको लागी १० हजार सुरक्षा कर्मी तैनाथ गरेको थियो । यसपालीको चुनाउमा यूवा वर्गको रुचि धेरै मात्रमा देखीयो । आज मतदान बिहान भोटाङे समय अनुसार ९ बजे आरम्भ भएर् बेलुकि ५ बजे समाप्त भयो । आजको यस संसदीय चुनाउमा पोस्टल भोट 48हजार भएको भोटाङ चुनाउ आयोग सुत्रले जनाएकोछ । 

यस वर्षको चुनाव परिणाम अनुसार बिगत दिनको सरकार डिपिटिले पिडिपि सग हारको मुख देख्न परेको छ । र भोटाङमा आउदो दिनमा नया सरकार पिडिपिको हुने तय भएकोछ । भोटाङको पुराने पार्टीले मात्र 15 वटा आसन हासिल गरे भने पिडिपिले 32 सिटमा बिजय गरेर् नया सरकार गठन गर्ने तय भएकोछ।

TNN, THIMPHU: The opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) drubbed Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) to capture power in Bhutan's second general election on Saturday. PDP is known as an organization whose foreign policy is in alignment with that of the Bhutanese monarchy, which stands for a strong friendship between India and Bhutan. PDP won 32 seats and DPT 15. 

The National Assembly, the kingdom's parliament, has a total of 47 seats. "We're grateful to the people of Bhutan and will try our best to fulfil their expectations," PDP secretary-general Sonam Jatsho said. 

He pledged to sort out all problems with India. PDP president Tshering Tobgay (47), who contested from Haa in western Bhutan bordering the strategic Chumbi Valley, is likely to be the next PM. Tobgay, an alumnus of Harvard University, is a former civil servant. In the 2008 polls, DPT had humiliated PDP by winning 45 seats. 

PDP was founded by Sangay Ngedup, an uncle of former monarch Jigme Singhey Wangchuck (the present monarch's father). After the defeat, Ngedup quit politics, paving the way for Tobgay to take charge of PDP. PDP's win came as a big surprise to most Bhutanese. It had won just 12 seats as against DPT's 33 in the primary election held in May last to choose the two top parties eligible for Saturday's poll. 

The kingdom follows a bi-party system. Druk Nyamdrup Tshogpa (DNT), which had won two seats in the primary round, merged with PDP. DPT had a number of heavyweights, including former PM Jigmi Y Thinley, as its candidates. 

Thinley's family has served the palace for generations. "It was Thinley's father who had composed our national anthem ," said a journalist. Compared to this, PDP had mostly nominees who were little known in the country. 

"In 2008, we got just two seats because DPT said we had no experienced leaders ," remarked Jatsho while reviewing the 2008 defeat. PDP's chances grew manifold after word spread that India was not happy with DPT, especially Thinley, when campaigning gained momentum after the preliminary round. This was followed by a bitter argument between the two parties over whether India would help Bhutan implement its 11th five-year plan. Delhi contributes almost 70% of every plan. Around this time, New Delhi announced cuts in cooking gas and kerosene subsidies for Bhutan, pushing up their prices by two to three times. 

As panic spread in the kingdom, DPT and PDP decided not to raise India-Bhutan ties during campaigning, which had never happened in the kingdom before. The main cause of "discord" between India and Bhutan is said to be Thinley's meeting with then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in Rio last year without taking India into confidence. 

Besides, Delhi is also understood to be upset with the DPT government's decision to establish diplomatic ties with 32 countries in five years. About 80 % of over 380,000 electors cast their votes. -- With inputs from Agencies