Chandigarh, Dec. 15 -- A voter turnout of 48 per cent was recorded in the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab on Sunday, even as the opposition parties claimed "blatant electoral malpractices" at the behest of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. Elections were held to elect members of 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis, for which more than 9,000 candidates are in the fray, officials said. The polling began at 8 am and continued till 4 pm. The counting of votes will take place on December 17. No loss of life or major clash was reported from anywhere, the State Election Commission (SEC) said in a statement. FULL REPORT ON PAGE 2...