The first round held in September has already delivered a surprise verdict, with the ousting of the incumbent People’s Democratic Party. The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa, that won the maximum number of votes in the first round this year, is a political neophyte. While the ordinary voter who queued up to vote at the polling booths favoured the PDP, ultimately the postal ballots, used by government officials and their families as well as military personnel, swung the vote in the other direction. Another outcome, which may be disquieting for whichever party comes to power, is that votes in the first round of elections were polarised between more prosperous Western Bhutan and less developed Eastern Bhutan. It is expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lose no time in visiting Bhutan to consolidate the relationship once the new Prime Minister is in the saddle.

Source: The Hindu October 15, 2018 18:36 UTC