MPTC ZPTC ELECTIONS 2021 – PO (PRESIDING OFFICERS) HAND BOOK DOWNLOAD

The objective of this Handbook is to provide information and guidance to perform
your duties as a Presiding Officer in the best possible manner. However, this
Handbook is neither an exhaustive compendium in all aspects nor a substitute
reference for the various provisions of election law related to the conduct of poll. You
should, therefore, wherever necessary, refer to those legal provisions, which are
reproduced in Annexures-1 (Provisions of A.P. Panchayat Raj Act, 1994) and
Annexure-1A (Provisions of Conduct of Elections Rules, 2006).

While detailed directions and instructions are contained in various chapters of this
Handbook, some of the salient aspects of your duties are given below for your
guidance:

  • You should acquaint yourself fully with the latest position about the rules and
    procedures prescribed for the conduct of poll.
  • You should familiarise yourself thoroughly with the operation of Ballot boxes,
    i.e., Opening, Closing and proper Sealing of ballot boxes.
  •  You must acquaint yourself with members of your polling party in the
    Distribution Centre.
  •  You must keep in ready possession of all relevant instructions of the State
    Election Commission.
  • You must have a clear idea of the location of your polling station and your
    itinerary to and fro the polling station
  • You should attend all rehearsals and training classes without fail.
  •  While collecting election materials (Annexure-5), you should ensure that all
    items have been handed over to you. The most important items are Ballot
    boxes, Ballot papers, Paper seals, marked copy of electoral roll and other
    copies, arrow cross mark rubber stamp for voting, distinguishing mark,
    statutory forms, sealing wax and indelible ink, etc.
  •  On arrival at the polling station, you should have a clear idea of the
    arrangements to be made for setting up of a proper polling station especially
    to secure secrecy of voting, regulation of queue of voters, protection of poll
    proceedings free from outside interference, etc. (Annexure-6).
  •  You are required to sign your name in full on the back of each ballot paper
    before issue (but not on the counterfoil of the ballot paper). To enable the
    commencement of poll at the appointed time, you should keep some ballot
    papers signed in advance.
  • You are also required to affix on the back of each ballot paper and its
    counterfoil distinguishing mark of your polling station with the rubber stamp
    given to you.
  •  Before the commencement of poll, the ballot box has to be demonstrated to
    the polling agents present to satisfy them that it is empty and that the ballot
    box is in perfect working condition.
  •  The ballot box shall then be properly sealed, closed, secured and placed in
    full view of the polling agents.
  •  The poll should commence at the hour fixed for such commencement by the
    State Election Commission. Before commencing the poll, the candidates or
    their agents present and the polling officers should be warned about the
    maintenance of secrecy of vote and provisions of Section 217 of A.P.
    Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 and mentioned in Chapter-XV of this booklet.
  •  At the commencement of poll, you have to exhibit the marked copy of the
    electoral roll and there are declarations to be filled and signed by you and
    also signed by polling agents present in the polling station at the
    commencement and at end of the poll (Annexure-10).
  •  The instructions for establishing the identity of the elector should be followed
    carefully. In the absence of EPIC (Voter ID Card), the voter has to produce
    any one of the identity documents specified by the Commission to establish
    his/her identity at the polling station.
  •  The identity of elector should be properly verified by the 1st Polling Officer
    with reference to the entries in the marked copy of electoral roll and the
    document(s) prescribed by the State Election Commission. The voter slip/
    unofficial identity slip carried by an elector should not be accepted as proof of
    identity. It is to be noted that the voter slips distributed by the official
    machinery is meant for facilitating the voter to easily identify his/her polling
    station. This will also help the 1st polling officer to quickly identify the voter’s
    serial number in the marked copy of electoral roll.
  • After an elector is identified with reference to his entry in the electoral roll
    and the identity document(s) prescribed by the State Election Commission,
    the left hand forefinger should be marked with the indelible ink by the 2nd
    Polling Officer. The indelible mark should be prominent and should begin
    from top end of the nail to the bottom of the first joint of the left forefinger.
  •  You should obtain the signature/thumb impression of the voter on the
    counterfoil of the ballot paper and then only the voter should be issued with
    the ballot paper. If a voter refuses to put his signature/ thumb impression on
    the counterfoil, such voter should not be issued ballot paper.
  •  In order to ensure that the indelible ink mark put on the voter‘s finger has
    properly dried up and developed into a distinct mark, the last polling officer
    should inspect the indelible ink mark before the voter leaves polling booth.
  •  In order to indicate that an elector has been allowed to vote and also to
    ensure that he/she does not turn up to vote again, in the entry relating to the
    elector in the marked copy of the photo electoral roll should be struck
    diagonally with a red ink pen. The serial number of female voter has to be
    rounded off in addition as that will be helpful to the polling officer to count
    the number of women voters voted at the end of the poll for the purpose of
    the relevant statistics of voters to be mentioned in the Presiding Officer’s
    diary.
  • The serial number of the ballot paper should not be noted at all in the
    marked copy of the electoral roll against the elector‘s name.
  • The ballot papers need not be issued to electors in consecutive serial order as
    that would enable the polling agents to work out the serial number of ballot
    paper that is being issued to individual voters. At the same time, if the first
    three or four bundles of ballot papers (50 in number in a bundle) are shuffled
    and bundles used at random and not in consecutive serial order, then the
    object would be served. At the close of the poll, the numbers of the ballot
    papers issued to the electors should be in continuous and unbroken series to
    avoid confusion in drawing up the ballot paper account.
  • If you consider an elector to be much below the minimum age of voting, i.e.,
    18 years, but are otherwise satisfied about his identity and the fact of
    inclusion of his name in the electoral roll, you should obtain a declaration
    from him about his age in the form of declaration at Annexure-2.
  • You have to go on recording the relevant events as and when they occur in
    the Presiding Officer’s Diary (Annexure-19).
  •  You have to regulate the proceedings in the polling station for peaceful and
    smooth conduct of poll. You require much tact, but at the same time you
    should be firm and impartial.
  • You shall close the poll at the hour fixed by the Commission, even if the
    commencement of poll was delayed for any reason. All voters standing in
    queue at the closing hour of poll shall be allowed to vote even if that means
    continuing of poll for some more time. It should also be ensured that after
    the closing hour of poll nobody joins the queue of voters. For that purpose,
    you should distribute numbered slips (1, 2, 3, etc.) to all voters standing in
    queue at the time fixed for close of poll starting with the last person in the
    queue in such a way that the last person is to be given slip No. 1 and the
    person before him slip No. 2 and so on (from the tail end of the queue
    towards its head). This will help you to find out if any person joins the queue
    after distribution of slips and such person shall not be allowed to cast his/her
    vote.
  •  At the close of poll, you are required to prepare, in duplicate, a Ballot Paper
    Account in Part-I of Form-XXV (Annexure-20) authenticated copies of such
    account are required to be given to the polling agent of each candidate
    present. You are also required to make a declaration regarding furnishing of
    such copies to the candidates agents in the form prescribed by the State
    Election Commission in Part-III of Declarations by the Presiding Officer
    (Annexure-10).
  • After the close of poll, the Ballot Boxes and all election papers should be
    sealed and secured in the manner prescribed by the State Election
    Commission. Candidates or their agents present have also to be allowed to
    affix their seals, if they so desire, on the ballot boxes and the election papers
    in addition to your seals. You should follow carefully the relevant instructions
    about the sealing and securing of ballot boxes and election papers so that no
    mistake is committed which cannot be rectified later.
  • It is your personal responsibility to hand over the Ballot boxes and all election
    papers duly sealed and secured to the officer responsible for the collection
    thereof, under proper receipt at Reception Centre.

 

MPTC ZPTC ELECTIONS 2021 – PO (PRESIDING OFFICERS) HAND BOOK DOWNLOAD

 

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