Around 60 pc voting reported in ZP, PS polls

Mumbai, Mar 11 (UNI) Around 60 per cent polling was reported in 27 Zilla Parishad and 310 Panchayat elections held today.

Dubbed as ''mini assembly elections'' of Maharashtra, the elections were incident-free barring postponement of voting at 13 places in Adawad Chopda taluka in Jalgaon district.

Official sources said the elections were postponed due to the failure of electronic voting machines.

The elections are likely to prove an acid test for the ruling Congress-NCP combine, which is facing flak for load-shedding and farmers' suicides in the State.

Besides, the war of words between the two ruling parties has also bruised the alliance, and Congress and NCP are contesting against each other in most of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti wards.

Shiv Sena and BJP, on the other hand, have worked out a successful seat adjustment in nearly all the wards.

Counting of votes will be held tomorrow and the results are expected late in the night.

UNI