Chandigarh, Dec. 18 -- The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was leading in the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections as per results declared so far on Wednesday, with the party calling the outcome a "clear endorsement" of the state government's people-centric policies. Complete results are yet to be declared as counting of ballot papers is still underway, officials said. The Congress was placed second, followed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). 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 voting percentage was recorded at 58.1%. AAP Punjab president and cabinet minister Aman Arora claimed that the results declared so far are in AAP's favour. "The results and poll trends so far indicated people's inclination towards the Punjab government's policies. Almost 85% results (declared so far) are in favour of AAP," he claimed. Owing to violence, repolling was ordered at different stations in the districts of Amritsar, Barnala, Muktsar, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar on December 16. According to officials of the state election commission, the counting of ballot papers is taking longer, and the declaration of results is expected late at night. In Patiala, the ruling AAP won 20 of the total 23 zila parishad zones, while the Congress and the SAD managed to win two and one zone, respectively. In the block samiti, AAP won 105 of the total 169 zones while the Congress bagged 29 and SAD 10. Seven zones were won by independent candidates, said the district election office. In the Rajpura zone, AAP suffered a setback as it could win only six block samiti zones while the Congress bagged eight and SAD one. The ruling AAP won 20 of the total 23 Zila Parishad zones in Patiala district, while the Congress and the SAD managed to win two and one zones. Both the opposition parties have alleged large-scale irregularities in the polls at the behest of the ruling party. In the Doaba region, AAP was leading in most of the zones in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts, while it faced tough competition from the Congress, especially in Jalandhar, where the contest was neck and neck, the trends showed. In SBS Nagar, Congress candidates managed to win more zones than AAP. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the results are not surprising at all. "I am satisfied with the performance of the party candidates across the state against all odds. Given the track record of the AAP government with a compliant and obedient administration and police, I am not at all surprised by the results and trends," he said. BJP leader Tarun Chugh also alleged the "blatant misuse" of government machinery during the counting process by AAP and demanded a fair and transparent exercise. He said democratic norms were "openly crushed". In the Malwa belt, SAD and Congress, as per trends, are giving a tough challenge to the ruling AAP. Bathinda, the traditional bastion of the Akalis, is divided into 17 zones for the zila parishad polls. As per the official information, SAD had won nine zones and was leading in five other segments. AAP was declared from three zones. The district has six assembly segments, and the AAP represents all. Mansa, Moga, Faridkot and Ferozepur also showed similar trends with Akali Dal and Congress giving tough fight to AAP....