<span style="color: #222222;">In Tamil Nadu, the counting of votes polled in the rural local body elections are underway, amidst tight security.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Out of the 5067 panchayat union councillors posts for which elections were held, the ruling AIADMK-led alliance is ahead in 246 places and the DMK-led front is leading in 270 places when reports last came in.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In the 515 Zilla Parishad member posts, the DMK-led alliance is ahead in 108 positions and the AIADMK-led front leading in 103 places.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The counting began at 8 am at 315 counting centres across 27 districts where the polling has been held in two phases last month. Of the nearly ninety-two thousand posts for which elections were announced, 73405 posts were contested and others were elected unopposed.<br />'' <br />'' The rural local body elections have been held after a long gap of three years in the state. Positions like Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Union councillors are elected on political party symbols while village panchayat president and ward member posts are contested on a non-political basis. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The presidents of Panchayat Unions and Zilla Parishads will be elected, by the members themselves, in an indirect election later. The counting is expected to go past mid-night in some places. The election in nine more districts has been kept in abeyance as they have been formed only recently where the delineation exercise is yet to be completed. Urban civic polls are expected to be announced by the state poll panel very soon. </span><br />