2[(1)] A voter on election duty who wishes to vote by post at an election shall send an application in Form 12 to the returning officer so as to reach him at least seven days or such shorter period as the returning officer may allow before the date of poll; and if the returning officer is satisfied that the applicant is a voter on election duty, he shall issue a postal ballot paper to him.
3[(2) Where such voter, being a polling officer, presiding officer or other public servant on election duty in the constituency of which he is an elector, wishes to vote in person at an election 4[in a parliamentary or assembly constituency] and not by post, he shall send an application in Form 12A to the returning officer so as to reach him at least four days, or such shorter period as the returning officer may allow, before the date of poll; and if the returning officer is satisfied that the applicant is such public servant and voter on election duty in the constituency, he shall—
(a) issue to the applicant an election duty certificate in Form 12B;
(b) mark ‘EDC’ against his name in the marked copy of the electoral roll to indicate that an election duty certificate has been issued to him; and
(c) ensure that he is not allowed to vote at the polling station where he would otherwise have been entitled to vote.]