KATHMANDU: As vote counting continued on Thursday morning under the 11th National Congress of the CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli and Shankar Pokharel have maintained and extended their lead in the races for party chairperson and general secretary, respectively.
According to the latest results, Oli has secured 489 votes, while his rival Ishwar Pokharel has received 194 votes. Oli is currently leading by a margin of 295 votes in the race for party chair.
Similarly, in the contest for general secretary, Shankar Pokharel has garnered 364 votes, while his closest contender Surendra Pandey has received 302 votes. Pokharel is leading by 62 votes.
Vice-Chairperson of the party’s Central Election Commission, Sanuraj Pokharel, said the complete election results are expected to be announced within two hours of the start of vote counting.
Voting began at 9 am on Wednesday and concluded at 6:30 am on Thursday. Of the total 2,263 eligible delegates, 2,227 cast their votes, while 36 were absent.
A total of 80 electronic voting machines were used in the election. KP Sharma Oli and Ishwar Pokharel are competing with separate panels in the party’s leadership race.
Altogether, 642 candidates are contesting various positions in the UML national convention.
Vote count (as of latest update):
Chairperson
KP Sharma Oli – 489
Ishwar Pokharel – 194
General Secretary
Shankar Pokharel – 364
Surendra Pandey – 302
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