Amritsar, May 29 -- Counting of votes for the Punjab civic body elections began across multiple counting centres in the state on Friday amid elaborate security arrangements and tight police deployment to ensure the process remains peaceful and smooth.

Polling for 75 Municipal Councils and 20 Nagar Panchayats across Punjab was held on May 26. A total of 7,555 candidates are contesting the elections for various Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats in the state.

According to election officials, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 1,801 candidates, while the Congress has fielded 1,550 candidates. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 1,316 candidates in the fray, and the Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded 1,251 cand...