KATHMANDU: Independent candidate Balen Shah has continued leading the race by getting 28,662 votes for the next mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

His nearest rival CPN-UML’s Keshav Sthapit has got 15,359 votes so far while Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh has got 26,575 votes. Balen has led Sthapit with a margin of 13,303 votes as of Friday afternoon.

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. The counting is underway in nine wards of the metropolis.