THE TELANGANA GAZETTE
PART- VII EXTRAORDINARY
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 32 ]
HYDERABAD, FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2018.
NOTIFICATIONS RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF
PANCHAYAT RAJ
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TELANGANA STATE ELECTION COMMISSION
ORDINARY ELECTIONS TO GRAM PANCHAYATS, 2018 - ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY.
No.169/ TSEC-PR/2018:– In exercise of the powers conferred by article 243 K of the Constitution of India, the State Election Commission, hereby, appoints the administrative machinery for conduct of elections to Panchayat Raj Institutions as follows:-
1. In this notification, unless the context otherwise requires,-.
(i) 'Act' means the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018;
(ii) Except in cases where any authority, is specifically authorized to exercise the powers, and perform the functions, of election authority under this notification, 'election authority' means, the Commissioner of Panchayat Raj.
(iii) 'Rules' means the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act (Conduct of Elections) Rules, 2018 2. (a). The District Collector shall be the District Election Authority. The functions of the Election Authority under the rules may also be performed, unless specifically otherwise provided, by the District Election Authority, within his jurisdiction.
(b) The Joint Collector of the District, the Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Praja Parishad and the District Panchayat Officer, shall be Additional District Election Authorities. The Revenue Divisional Officer or the Sub-Collector, as the case may be, in the District shall be Deputy District Election Authority.
(c) The Mandal Parishad Development Officer shall be Assistant District Election Authority.
(d) The Additional District Election Authority, the Deputy District Election Authority and the Assistant District Election Authority shall perform, such functions as may be assigned to them, by the District Election Authority. The District Election Authority may authorize, in writing, the Additional District Election Authority or the Deputy District Election Authority or the Assistant District Election Authority, to exercise in any local area in the District, in regard to any Gram Panchayat/Mandal Praja Parishad / Zilla Praja Parishad in that area, any of the powers vested in him under the rules.
2 TELANGANA GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY [Part-VII3. Subject to the general superintendence, direction and control of the State Election Commissioner, the District Election Authority shall be responsible for the conduct, co-ordination and supervision of all items of work, connected with the conduct of elections, of the Members and Sarpanch of Gram Panchayats, Members of Mandal Praja Parishads and the Members of Zilla Praja Parishads, within his jurisdiction.
4. (a) For every election to fill the seat of Member of Mandal Praja Parishad and Member of Zilla Praja Parishad, the District Election Authority shall appoint a Returning Officer for every Mandal Praja Parishad or Zilla Praja Parishad, as the case may be, who shall, as far as possible, be a Gazetted Officer not below the rank of Mandal Praja Parishad Development Officer.
(b) For every election to fill the seats of Members and Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat, the District Election Authority shall appoint a Returning Officer for one or more Gram Panchayats who shall be an officer of the State Government or a local authority.
5. (a). The District Election Authority may appoint, one or more persons, as Assistant Returning Officers to assist any Returning Officer:
Provided that, every such person shall be an Officer of the State Government or of a local authority.
(b) Every Assistant Returning Officer shall, subject to the control of the Returning Officer, be competent to perform all or any of the functions of the Returning Officer:
Provided that no Assistant Returning Officer shall perform any functions of the Returning Officer, which relate to the scrutiny of nominations, unless the Returning Officer is unavoidably prevented from performing the said function.
6. It shall be the general duty of the Returning Officer, at any election, to do all such acts and things as may be necessary, for conducting the election in the manner provided under the Act and Rules or orders made thereunder.
7. The District Election Authority may appoint Tahasildars or any other Gazetted Officer as Additional Assistant District Election Authorities to perform any such function, as may be assigned to them by the District Election Authority.
8. (a). The District Election Authority shall, subject to such directions as may be issued by the State Election Commission provide as many polling stations as are necessary, for the conduct of election and shall publish in such manner as the State Election Commission may direct, a list showing the polling stations and the areas or groups of voters, for which they have respectively been provided.
(b) The District Election Authority, or any other officer authorized by him, shall appoint a Presiding Officer for each pollling station, and such other polling personnel as he thinks necessary, subject to the condition that he shall not appoint, any person who has been employed by or on behalf of, or has been otherwise working , for a candidate in connection with the election:
Provided that if a polling officer is absent from the polling station, the Presiding Officer may appoint any person who is present at the polling station, other than a person who has been employed by or on behalf of, or has been otherwise working for a candidate in connection with the election, to be the polling officer and inform the Returning Officer about such appointment.
(c) A polling officer shall, if so directed by the Presiding Officer, perform all or any of the functions of a Presiding Officer under these Rules.
(d) If a Presiding Officer, owing to illness or other unavoidable cause, is obliged to absent himself from the polling station, his functions shall be performed by such polling officer, as has been authorized by the Returning Officer, to perform such functions during any such absence.
(e) It shall be the general duty of the Presiding Officer at the polling station to keep and maintain public order there at, and to see that the poll is taken in a fair manner.