(1) The Returning Officer shall attend for the purposes of scruting and counting of the votes, on the date and the time and place appointed by him in this behalf, provided the date so appointed shall not be later than three days from the date fixed for the poll.
(2) All the voting paper covers, other than those rejected under rule 18 shall be opened and the voting papers taken out and mixed together. The voting papers shall then be scrutinises and the valid votes counted.
(3) A voting paper shall be invalid. if-
(a) It does not bear the Returning Officer's initials;
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(b) A voter signs his name or writes a word or makes any mark on it, by which it becomes recognisable as his voting papers; or
(c) No vole is recorded thereon; or
(d) The number of votes, recorded therein exceeds the number of vacancies to be tilled; or
(e) it is void for uncertainty of one or more votes exercised:
Provided that where more than one vote can be given on the same voting paper, if one of the marks is so placed as to render it doubtful to which candidate it is intended to apply, the vote concerned, but not the whole voting paper shall be invalid on that account.
(4) Any candidate may be present in person or may send a representative, duly authorised by him in writing to watch the process of counting.
(5) The Returning Officer shall show the voting papers, if requested to do so the candidates or their authorised representative, at the time of scruting and counting of votes.
(6) If any objection is made to any voting paper on the ground that it does not comply with the specified requirements of to any rejection by the Returning Officer of a voting paper it shall bé decided at once by the Returning Officer whose decision shall be final.
(7) The Returning Officer shall nominate such number of scrutinisers, not exceeding four as he thinks fit. In the case of elections, held for the first time under the Act, the scrutinizers shall be Gazette Officer, of the State Government and in the case of other elections, members of the Council.