The counting of votes for Punjab’s district council and panchayat samiti elections continued on Wednesday under tight security. Early trends show the Aam Aadmi Party taking a strong lead across the state.
Punjab voted on December 14 to elect members to 22 district councils and 153 panchayat samitis. Voters chose representatives for 347 district council zones and 2,838 panchayat samiti zones. Around 48 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots. More than 9,000 candidates contested the polls.
According to officials, counting remains in progress, and authorities have not yet declared final results. However, early trends place AAP ahead in most regions. Congress holds the second position, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal. The BJP trails far behind.
AAP has already secured victories in over 60 district council zones. Congress has won more than 10 zones. Akali Dal has won three zones, while BJP has secured one. Independent candidates have won two zones.
In panchayat samitis, AAP leads in over 1,000 zones. Congress follows with over 250 zones. Akali Dal has crossed 170 zones, while BJP has led in over 25 zones.
AAP Punjab president Aman Arora said voters have endorsed the state government’s policies. He claimed nearly 85 percent of declared results favour AAP. Officials expect final results by late evening.
