Tibetans in exile in Dharamsala gear up for polls

Dharamsala, Oct 2 (ANI): Tibetans in-exile in Dharamshala are all geared up for the first round of general elections of Tibetan Parliament and Cabinet to be held on Sunday.

The prominent candidates who are contesting the polls include Harvard University Professor Lobsang Sangey, Tibetan diplomat Tenzin Thethong Namgyal, former President of Tibetan Youth Congress Tsetan Norbu, Speaker Pempa Tsering, Deputy- Speaker Dolma Gyari, the only woman candidate.

This year a total number of 79,449 Tibetans are registered as voters in comparision to 2006 when there were 72,771 voters. In the 2006 elections, 52.29 per cent of Tibetans had exercised their political right.

"There is lot of enthusiasm. Never before we have seen posters of candidates everywhere. We are seeing launch of websites, facebooks. It is completely different then what we have seen five years ago and we hope this is a positive change." Tsewang Rigzin, President of the Tibetan Youth Congress.

An estimated 80,000 Tibetans along with the Dalai Lama arrived in India in 1959 after an unsuccessful uprising against the Chinese rule. (ANI)