Editor Tenzing Lamsang recently wrote in The Bhutanese that Local Government officials supported PDP in 2008 and DPT in 2013.. And both Political Parties lost when supported by local officials. I believe he got it right. But I would not consider such support as jinx.
I think the influence of Gups and Tsokpas in Primary or General Election is more of an illusion rather than real.The fact that most of the former Gups lost their re- election in 2016 is a good indication of their lack of lasting political clout.
They have one influence and that is getting the public to attend political campaign gatherings. They understand the line of communication to let the public know when and where such is held. However, they are in no position to assure votes.
The most influential people who can influence public votes are civil servants and corporate and other educated employees . They have strong influence within their extended families and communities and even beyond their constituencies.
And in education institutions and defence forces, word of mouth is a big factor as group belief prevails in such conditioned social environments. And beyond all factors of influence, the most reliable is the art of money politics. I think in all nations, money have effective influencing roles. Political Parties and candidates have to have adequate finance at their disposal. What Election Commission provide is just the startup fund in national Election. You need money to cover all nooks and creeks; to put up impressive road shows; to hire locals to guide and advice and to put ads in TV and sponsor radio talks.
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