Independent candidate for mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Balen Shah has built up a lead of more than 12,500 over Keshav Sthapit of CPN-UML with 70,960 votes counted until now.
Shah has secured 26,838 votes to lead Sthapit who has got 14,277 votes by 12,561 as per the latest update.
Sirjana Singh of Nepali Congress (NC) is third with 13,673 votes.
Shah's vote tally is just over 1,100 short of the combined tallies of Sthapit and Singh.
Shah has led in all the wards where vote counting has been completed or continues except ward numbers 27 and 28 where Sthapit leads and Singh is second ahead of Shah.
Vote counting has already been completed in ward numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 30 while it continues in ward numbers 6, 7, 8, 27, 28, 29, 31 and 32.