KATHMANDU: Khum Bahadur Khadka is leading the vote count with 898 votes out of 1,500 counted so far in the open category of the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee members' election held earlier this week.

Following him are Shekhar Koirala and Prakash Man Singh with 885 and 880 votes respectively.

Among top 25 contenders, the newly elected President Sher Bahadur Deuba-led panel is apparently holding the majority though the two among top three candidates - Koirala and Singh - belong to the rival faction led by outing acting President Ram Chandra Paudel.

Total 90 contenders are in the race for 25 positions.

Meanwhile, the party's Election Committee is simultaneously counting votes for CWC members under other reservation categories.

SN

Candidates

Votes till 1,500 counted

1.

Khum Bahadur Khadka

898

2.

Shekhar Koirala

885

3.

Prakash Man Singh

880

4.

Ramesh Lekhak

851

5.

Purna Bahadur Khadka

846

6.

Kul Bahadur (KB) Gurung

841

7.

Pradeep Giri

839

8.

Pradeep Paudel

837

9.

Bal Krishna Khand

835

10.

Bimalendra Nidhi

833

11.

Dhan Raj Gurung

824

12.

Mahesh Acharya

815

13.

Ram Sharan Mahat

786

14.

Bal Bahadur KC

785

15.

Bishwa Prakash Sharma

771

16.

Sujata Koirala

766

17.

Shankar Bhandari

749

18.

Prakash Sharan Mahat

740

19.

NP Saud

730

20.

Gopal Man Shrestha

730

21.

Chandra Bhandari

721

22.

Minendra Rijal

713