Independent candidate Balen Shah has been elected mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City defeating candidates of two big parties by more than 23,000 votes.
Shah, who contested the election with cane as the election symbol, secured 61,767 votes as per the final results published on the official website of Election Commsion to beat Sirjana Singh of Nepali Congress by 23,426 votes. Singh got 38,341 votes.
Keshav Sthapit of CPN-UML finished third with 38,117 votes.
None of the other mayoral candidates received the necessary 10 percent votes to get refund of their deposits.
Another independent candidate Suman Sayami received 13,770 votes, followed by RPP candidate Madan Das Shrestha in fifth position with 5,770 votes and Samiksha Baskota of Bibeksheel Sajha Party in sixth with 647 votes.
“They say I am here to cut (split) votes. Yes, I am here to cut votes of both Congress, UML. I am here to win, got it?” Balen Shah had said confidently talking to the media after filing nominations on April 24.
His detractors had been disparagingly predicting that his relevance will be limited to just playing a spoilsport for the two major contenders.
But the results that arrived a month later has showed his confidence was not unfounded and his statement has proved to be prescient.
Sunita Dangol of CPN-UML, meanwhile, has been elected deputy mayor securing 68,612 votes defeating Rameshwore Shrestha of CPN (Unified Socialist) who got just 23,806 votes.
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