Peaceful panchayat polls in Tripura

Agartala, July 16: Approximately 80 per cent of the electorate in Tripura cast their votes to elect 238 gram panchayats, 137 members of panchayat samitis and 39 members of zilla parishads in three districts during the first phase of the three-tier panchayat elections on Friday. The panchayat election commissioner B B Senapati said the polling for the first phase, which covered Dhalai, South Tripura and North Tripura districts, was peaceful. The second phase of polling will be held on July 19. Counting is scheduled to start on July 22. As many as 338 candidates for gram panchayats and 10 for panchayat samitis have already been elected unopposed.