Counting of votes for the civic body elections in Punjab commenced at 8 am on Friday amid tight security arrangements. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is leading with 220 seats so far, followed by Congress winning 90 seats and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with 75 seats each. BJP has secured 20 seats so far.
Elections to 102 municipal bodies across eight municipal corporations -- Mohali, Bathinda, Abohar, Barnala, Kapurthala, Moga, Batala and Pathankot -- along with 75 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats were held using ballot papers on May 26, recording a turnout of 63.94%
A total of 7,554 candidates are in the fray for the local body elections, seen as crucial for all the major political parties in Punjab – AAP, BJP, Congress and SAD – in the run-up to next year's Assembly polls.
Officials said two micro observers have been deputed for each counting centre who will be working under the direct supervision of the general observer for that district. Entry into the counting hall shall be restricted only to the authorised persons, they said.
Earlier, the opposition parties had accused the AAP government of misusing official machinery during the elections. The civic polls are seen as a litmus test for the ruling party, which is hoping to retain power in the state.
