Eighty per cent of the total 3, 84, 099 electorates cast their votes in the first phase of the three-tier Panchayat election in Tripura. State Panchayat Election Commission secretary Santi Ranjan Bhattacharjee said that in some areas the percentage of votes cast crossed 80 per cent. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere, Mr. Bhattacharjee said, adding that the rural people exercised their franchise like participating in a festival.

Superintendent of Police of North Tripura district Joydeep Nayek informed that in an incident of pre-poll violence, one person was shot dead and two others were seriously injured at Kanchanchara under Fatikory police station in the district. He said armed tribal guerillas fired at a private vehicle indiscriminately from a hill top killing the driver, Arun Banik, on the spot. Two other passengers of the vehicle were seriously injured in the attack. The injured were hospitalised. Security forces continue their combing operation.