Independent candidate Balendra Sah wins mayoral election in Kathmandu

Independent candidate Balendra Sah has been elected mayor of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City by getting 61,767 votes, according to the District Election Office, Kathmandu. Sah, 32, made it to the post by defeating his nearest rival Srijana Singh of Nepali Congress (NC) with the margin of 23,426 votes. 

Likewise, Sunita Dangol of CPN (UML) was elected the deputy mayor of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City by securing 68,612 votes while her nearest rival Rameshwor Shrestha of CPN (Unified Socialist) got 23,806 votes. 

Including independent candidates, 56 persons had contested for the mayoral candidacy of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City while 35 candidates were vying for the post of deputy mayor of the city. 

Including mayor and deputy mayor, there will be a total of 160 people's representatives, out of 162 representatives, in the metropolitan city as no one filed their candidacy under the category of Dalit women member in ward no. 24 and 25 of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Among the 32 wards, Nepali Congress won ward chair in 19 wards, UML in 12 wards and CPN (Unified Socialist) in one ward. Ishwor Man Dangol of CPN (Unified Socialist) won the election as the ward chair in ward no. 12 of the city.

Among 300,242 voters, a total of 190,962 voters had cast their votes in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the District Election Office said.    

Newly-elected mayor Sah obtained his Master's in Structural Engineering from India and has also earned his fame as a rapper.

Mayor Sah has stated to begin his works for the development of infrastructures, roads, schools, hospital management and waste management.