(1) In case of an election, where vote are to be taken, the Returning Officer shall prepare a final list of contesting candidates immediately after the last date fixed for withdrawal of nomination is over and affix it on the notice board of the office of the Returning Officer.
(2) The list referred in sub-rule (1) above shall be prepared in the alphabetical order of English Language.
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(3) The Returning Officer shall get ballot papers printed with serial number and names of the contesting candidates in the alphabetical order of English language. If there is more than one candidate of the same name, the father’s name shall also be printed and their names shall be arranged in the alphabetical order of father’s name.
(4) A ballot paper in Form- B shall be issued to each person whose name is borne on the Electoral Roll referred to in rule 6, by registered post. An identification envelop addressed to the Returning Officer with the particulars specified in Form- C printed on its back shall also be sent along with every ballot paper.
(5) No duplicate copy of ballot paper or identification envelope shall be issued in any circumstances and no election shall be invalidated by reason of the non- receipt of a ballot paper or identification envelope by an elector,.
(6) On receipt of the ballot paper and identification envelope, the elector shall, if he desires to vote in the election, record his vote on the ballot paper in accordance with the instructions printed thereon and fill up the information printed on the back of the identification envelop and shall place the ballot paper in the identification envelope. Close the identification envelope and either hand over it to the Returning Officer personally or send it by post. Ballot papers sent otherwise shall not be accepted.
(7) Ballot Papers received after the time and date fixed in the notice referred to in rule 4 or after such other subsequent date as may be fixed by the Returning Officer shall be rejected.
Vote recorded in any paper or form other than the ballot paper supplied, shall not be accepted.
(8) Each elector shall have as many vote as the number of seats for which the election is held, and he shall record his vote by putting a cross-mark in ink against the name of each of the candidate whom he wants to vote in the column provided for it in the ballot paper (Form-B).
If he record vote for more candidates than the number of seats for which the election is held, his ballot paper shall be rejected. An elector may record his vote for a lesser number of candidates than the number of seats for which the election is held.
(9) A ballot paper shall not be signed by the elector nor the elector shall write or mark anything on a ballot paper other than the cross-mark to indicate his vote. A ballot paper in which vote have been recorded in contravention of this sub-rule shall be rejected.
(10) A ballot paper in which a mark is placed in such a manner as to make it doubtful to which candidate the vote is given, or in which the elector has placed any mark whereby he may afterwards identified, or in which an alteration or erasure occurs indicating a change of vote, shall be invalid and shall be rejected.
(11) All particulars mentioned on the back of the identification envelope shall be filled in.
Identification envelopes not so filled up shall not be opened and ballot paper shall not be taken out of it and shall be treated as rejected. The returning officer shall put a note on the identification envelop to this effect and sign.
(12) The counting of vote shall take place, in the presence of the Returning Officer, on the date and at the time and place fixed in the notice issued under rule 4 or such other subsequent date as may be fixed in this regard by the Returning Officer.
(13) The contesting candidate may be present in person or send a person authorized by him in writing, to watch the process of the counting of vote but he shall not be authorized to see an identification envelope after the ballot paper in it has been taken out.
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(14) After opening the identification envelop, if the ballot paper is not found in it, the Returning Officer shall put a note to this effect on the identification envelop and sign.
(15) The Returning Officer shall decide any objection that may be raised at the time of the counting of vote regarding any identification envelope or ballot paper and endorse the word “rejected” and the ground of rejection on every ballot paper or identification envelope containing ballot paper declared invalid and rejected by him.
(16) The Returning Officer shall Count or cause to be counted the valid vote given to each candidate.
(17) When the counting of vote has been completed, the Returning Officer shall declare the candidate or candidates having higher number of valid vote as duly elected.
(18) When two or more candidates get equal vote and the addition of one vote shall entitle any of these candidates to be declared elected, the determination of the person or persons to whom such an additional vote shall be deemed to have been given shall be made by lot to be drawn in the presence of the Returning Officer and in such manner as he may determine.
(19) The Returning Officer shall seal up in separate packets the counted and rejected ballot papers, rejected identification envelops due to non filing of complete information by the voter on the back side of the identification envelopes containing ballot papers, and record on each such packet description of its contents and the date of the election which it refers.