Akalis on winning streak in Zila Parishad and Samiti polls

Chandigarh, May 14 (UNI) The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance is on a winning spree capturing most of the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats results for which have been declared so far.

The opposition Congress seems to be fairing very poorly with just a few odd candidates emerging victorious.

Counting of votes for the 20 Zila Parishad and 141 Samitis began at the Block headquarters all over the state this morning. The complete results are expected to be declared till late in the night.

However, counting will not be taken up where repolling has been ordered by the state Election Commission or where polling has been postponed to May 26 by the Punjab and Haryana High court.

Reports reaching here from Kapurthala said the ruling alliance swept the Zila Parishad elections in the district by winning all the ten zones. SAD candidates have won nine zones while in one zone a BJP candidate was declared elected. The Congress, which had won majority of the zones in the last polls, drew a blank.

The alliance was leading in all five blocks in Kapurthala district in the where 87 Panchayat Samiti seats are at stake.

A report from Patiala stated that the SAD won 10 of the 12 seats in the Zila Parishad results for which were declared. The Congress won the remaining two seats. The counting of votes in all the 143 zones of the Panchayat Samitis in the district was in progress.

In Amritsar district the first Zila Parishad result went in favour of the SAD. The SAD also won the Ajnala Panchayat Samiti, capturing 21 seats, while the Congress got just one seat.

Reports from Muktsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and other districts indicated that the SAD-BJP was all set to capture power in the two Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), where the Congress was previously in power.

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