KATHMANDU: Independent candidate Balen Shah has continued leading the race by getting 26,591 votes for the next mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

His nearest rival CPN-UML’s Keshav Sthapit has got 14,165 votes so far while Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh has got 13,562 votes.

Similarly, deputy mayoral candidate Sunita Dangol of CPN-UML has polled 26,575 while CPN (Unified Socialist)’s Rameshwor Shrestha got 8,591 votes.

The counting of votes in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 of Kathmandu Metropolis has been completed. A total of 70,389 votes have been counted so far. The counting is underway.