Chandigarh, Dec. 18 -- Vote-counting trends for the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab show the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) holding an edge, though the opposition-including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress-is giving the ruling party a tough fight in pockets across the state.

The counting of ballot papers started at 8 am at 154 centres set up across the state. Polls were held to elect members of 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis on December 14. There were at least 9,000 candidates in the fray. The polls witnessed a low voter turnout of 48%, the lowest for rural elections in the post-militancy era. In the last block samiti and zila parishad elections, held in 2018, the votin...