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HSE No. 1051/2017-19.

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

(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.

G-176.

TELANGANA GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY

[Part-VII

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.

(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.

(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.

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.

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.

(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.

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.

(BY ORDER AND IN THE NAME OF THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSIONER)

Hyderabad,

M. ASHOK KUMAR,

21-05-2018.

Secretary.

Printed and Published by the Commissioner of Printing, Govt. of Telangana, at Govt. Central Press, Chanchalguda, Hyderabad.