Kathmandu, Dec. 18 -- KP Sharma Oli is leading the race for UML chair as vote counting continues at the party's 11th general convention on Thursday.

With 1,139 votes counted, Oli has secured 843 votes against 296 for first-time contender Ishwar Pokharel. In the general secretary race, Shankar Pokharel has 613 votes while Surendra Pandey has 526.

Ballots were gathered from 80 electronic voting machines, with representatives from both panels and the party's central election commission members overseeing the process.

Oli is seeking a third term as chair, having first been elected at the 9th general convention in Kathmandu and re-elected at the 10th in Sauraha. He had previously lost to Jhalanath Khanal at the 8th convention in Butwal.

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