Chandigarh, Dec. 19 -- The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) put up a spirited fight in the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab despite facing stiff competition from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and other rivals. The party, which has been facing an existential crisis since its defeat in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections, managed to win 445 seats (15%) in the panchayat samiti elections and 46 seats (13%) in 347 zila parishad zones spread across 23 districts. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had campaigned extensively for the polls, focusing on development, rural upliftment and what he described as the need to "kickstart development" in villages. He highlighted the party's past work in agriculture, health and infrastructure, projecting SAD as a credible alternative rooted in rural concerns and local governance. The efforts paid off and the party performed well in its traditional strongholds. In Bathinda, the SAD won 13 out of 17 zila parishad zones, marking a clear majority. In Muktsar, it won seven of the 13 zones, while in Faridkot, SAD secured five out of 10 zones. A similar trend was seen in the panchayat samiti results. In Bathinda district, SAD won 79 of 137 zones, registering a clear majority. In Muktsar, it emerged victorious in 48 of 95 zones, and in Faridkot, the party won 25 of 65 zones. The party also managed to deal a blow to several senior AAP leaders, whose party candidates failed to win in their native villages. These include Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Sandhwan village), agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian (Khudian), MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal (Kharkan Panchayat Samiti), MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (Kurar), AAP chief spokesperson Kuldeep Dhaliwal (Jagdev Kalan), and MLAs Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana, Master Jagsir Singh, Kulwant Singh Pandori, and AAP chief whip Baljinder Kaur....