PM Modi congratulates Bhutan's new PM-elect, Tshering Tobgay

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated his former counterpart in Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, after he led his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to victory in the elections to the National Assembly in the neighbouring country.

Tobgay was the prime minister of Bhutan from 2013 to 2018. He is now set to return as the head of the government in Thimphu, succeeding Lotay Tshering. His party, PDP, won 30 of the 47 seats in the National Assembly in the final round of the parliamentary elections in the country. The Bhutan Tendrel Party – a new entrant in the political scene – won 17 seats and will play the role of the opposition for the next five years.

“Heartiest congratulations to my friend @tsheringtobgay and the People’s Democratic Party for winning the parliamentary elections in Bhutan,” Modi posted on X soon after it became clear that Tobgay’s party would secure the majority in the National Assembly.

Tshering served as the prime minister from 2018 until November 1, 2023, when he resigned, facilitating the establishment of a caretaker government led by the country's Chief Justice Chogyal Dago Rigdzin's party to oversee the elections. The former prime minister’s party Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa, however, got out of the contest in the primary round of the election itself.

The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, which was the opposition party in the past five years, was also knocked out of the contest in the primary round itself.

“Look forward to working together again to further strengthen our unique ties of friendship and cooperation,” Modi added to his post on X, tagging Tobgay.