Chandigarh, Dec. 14 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday slammed the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal over their "high-handedness" allegation against the Aam Aadmi Party government in the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, saying they had accepted defeat in the elections. Congress leader and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had alleged that the AAP government in the state had printed fake ballot papers for the December 14 rural body elections. Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Mann lambasted Channi, saying he had made an irresponsible statement. "Both the Congress and the Akali Dal have accepted their defeat in the rural polls but are accusing the AAP government of high-handedness against opposition candidates," the chief minister said. Giving details of the rural elections, Mann said out of the total 2,833 zones of Block Samitis, 340 AAP candidates, three Congress nominees and eight Independents had been elected unopposed. "If the Congress and independent candidates were elected unopposed, then wasn't there any high-handedness in these seats?" Mann asked. He said AAP's 2,771 candidates, Congress's 2,433, SAD's 1,814, BJP's 1,127, BSP's 195, SAD (Amritsar)'s three and 686 others were fighting the Panchayat Samiti polls. "How were the nomination papers of opposition candidates found to be correct?" he said. He also targeted the SAD for taking help of gangsters in the elections. After the Tarn Taran polls, now SAD was taking help of another gangster in the rural elections, he said. Opposition parties had earlier targeted the ruling AAP, accusing it of misusing official machinery in preventing their candidates from filing their nomination papers and rejecting their candidature. Mann said there were a total of 347 Zila Parishad zones and 1,396 candidates. Congress was fighting 331 zones, Akali Dal 298, BJP 215, BSP 50, SAD (Amritsar) 4 and 143 others. Nomination papers of these candidates were also accepted, he said. Targeting the rival parties, Mann said, "They have come to know that people are not with them. That is why they start alleging that AAP looted votes. Why can't they introspect?" Mann spoke about 600 units of free electricity, water for irrigation reaching the last mile and good condition of roads, opening of mohalla clinics and 17 toll plazas shut in villages. "We are seeking votes based on our works. But, they (opposition) are crying that their papers were snatched," the chief minister said....