Jumla, March 6 -- Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Gyan Bahadur Shahi has taken an early lead in the vote count in Jumla.

According to the Office of the Chief Returning Officer, Shahi has secured 182 votes after 400 ballots were counted. Nepali Communist Party candidate Naresh Bhandari follows with 129 votes.

Nepali Congress candidate Deep Bahadur Shahi has received 40 votes, while CPN-UML's Shantilal Mahat has secured 30.

Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Binita Kathayat has received four votes, and Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party candidate Birkha Bahadur Rawat two.

Officials said 15 votes have been declared invalid so far. Counting is ongoing.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from EKantipur.com....