KATHMANDU: Independent mayoral candidate Balen Shah appears to have a strong election lead in the race for Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Balen has been leading his nearest competitor Keshav Sthapit of CPN-UML by getting 9,614 votes.

Sthapit, meanwhile, has got 5,104 votes as of Tuesday morning.

Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh has garnered 4,483 votes so far.

Similarly, in the deputy mayoral race, CPN-UML’s Sunita Dangol is leading with 7,830 votes.

Balen, who took the lead from the beginning of the counting, has maintained it.

So far, the results of wards 1 and 2 of Kathmandu metropolis have been made public while the counting of votes in wards 3, 4, 31 and 34 is underway in the City Hall at Exhibition Road.