KATHMANDU: Independent candidate Balen Shah has continued leading the race by getting 27,087 votes for the next mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

His nearest rival CPN-UML’s Keshav Sthapit has got 14,701 votes so far while Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh has got 13,750 votes.

The counting of votes in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 of Kathmandu Metropolis has been completed. A total of 72,709 votes have been counted so far. The counting is underway.