A Broad Guideline

PLEASE NOTE

This Power-point “manual” has been prepared

as a summary guide and we have tried to
include all the important aspects of Polls for
ready reference purpose only. THE LEGAL
MANDATE OF THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF
INDIA IS THAT ALL PRESIDING OFFICERS
SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH
THE PRESIDING OFFICER”S HANDBOOK. This
manual, consequently, should never be
treated as a substitute for the Presiding
Officer’s Handbook. In addition, the Presiding
Officer must be vigilant and keep a close
watch on the announcements from ECI from
time to time.
 A Polling Party is a group of 4 - 5 Govt. officials, who are
notified by the District Election Officer under Section – 26
of the RP Act, 1951 to conduct a free and fair poll at a
particular Polling Station (PS) on a pre-notified date and
time.

 The Polling Party is responsible for complete poll related

functions of the particular PS assigned to them starting from
collection to deposit of poll materials at a place notified for
the purpose.

 They should be well acquainted with the Representation of

the People Act, 1950 & 1951 and relevant rules under the
Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, as well as the
Handbook for Presiding Officers, EVM Manual, and
instructions from the Returning Officer.
 At a single election, the polling party will normally
consist of one Presiding Officer (appointed under the
provisions of section 26 of the RP Act 1951) and
three Polling Officers.
 At a simultaneous election, the polling party will
consist of 5 Polling Officers, besides the Presiding
Officer.
 It will be the responsibility of the Polling Party to carry
out the entire voting process in the particular Polling
Station in a free and fair manner.
 They should be well-conversant with all relevant rules
Section – 27 of the RP Act, 1951:
General duty of the Presiding Officer - It shall be the
general duty of the Presiding Officer at a polling station to
keep order thereat and to see that the poll is fairly taken.

Section – 28 of the RP Act, 1951 :

Duties of a Polling Officer – It shall be the duty of the
Polling Officers at a polling station to assist the Presiding
Officer for such station in the performance of his function.

 Section 28-A of the RP Act, 1951 :

Presiding Officer and Polling Officer and any other Officer/ Person
employed in elect shall be deemed to be on deputation to the Election
Commission for the period of Election and such officers shall, during
that period, be subject to the control, superintendence and discipline
of the Election Commission.
 On receipt of the final appointment order, the Presiding
Officer is to check up carefully and examine:-
(a) Details and exact location of the allotted polling
station;
(b) The name of the assembly constituency within
which the polling station is situated
 He/she should assemble the other officials of his/her
Poll Party and arrive at the designated counter for
collection of polling materials.
 If there any polling staff is absent, that has to be
immediately reported to SO for replacement etc
• Every person shall wear face mask during every
election related activity.
• At the entry of hall/ room/ premises used for
election purposes:
• Thermal Scanning of all persons shall be carried
out;
• Sanitizer, soap and water shall be made
available.
• Social distancing shall be maintained as per the
extant COVID-19 guidelines of the State Govt. and
Ministry of Home Affairs.
• As far as practicable, large halls should be
identified and utilized to ensure social distancing
norms.
• Adequate number of vehicles shall be mobilized for
movement of polling personnel, security personnel
to ensure compliance of COVID-19 guidelines.
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The Polling Party should ensure that-
 The control unit, ballot unit(s) and VVPAT given to you
pertain to your polling station.
 The ‘Candidate Set Section’ of control unit is duly sealed
and address tag is firmly attached thereto.
 The battery in the control unit is fully operational. The
battery should be switched off after checking the Control
Unit. But must not check VVPAT before Mock Poll
 The ballot unit(s) have been duly sealed and address tags are
firmly attached, both at the top and bottom right portion.
 The appropriate ballot paper has been affixed on each ballot
unit and is properly aligned under the ballot paper screen.
(f)Check up the electoral roll to ensure that:–

 the copies of the supplements are given,

 the part number of the roll and the supplement is
correctly given,
 page numbers in the working copies of the roll are
given serially,
 the printed serial numbers of voters are not
corrected and no new numbers are substituted for
them,
 all deletions of names and corrections of clerical or
other errors as per the supplements have been
incorporated.
 Check that all the items of polling materials
mentioned in Annexure 19 of the HandBook of
Presiding Officers have been supplied in required
quantity;
Some Very Important FORMS
1. List of Contesting Candidates (Form 7A) 1
2. List of Challenged Votes (Form-14) 2
3. List of Blind and Infirm Voters (Form-14A) 2
4. List of Tendered Votes (Form-17B) 2
5. Accounts of votes Recorded (Form-17C) 10
6. Record of paper seals used 2
7. Receipt Book for deposit of challenged votes fee 1 Book
8. Letter to S.SH.O. 4
9. Declaration by the Presiding Officer before the Commencement of Poll and
at the end of poll (Part I to IV) 2
10. Declaration by Elector about his age 2
11. List of Electors who voted after giving declaration/refused to give declaration
4
12. Declaration by the companion of blind and inform voter 10
13. Passes for Polling Agents 10
14. Visit Sheet 2
15. Format for Presiding Officer’s Additional 16-Point Report to be submitted
to Constituency Observer/Returning Officer
16. The Presiding Officer’s Diary
• Commission has issued detailed
instructions for assured minimum
facilities at each polling station. Now, in
view of COVID-19 situation, following
additional facilities/steps should be
taken:
• Mandatory sanitization of Polling Station,
preferably, a day before the poll.
• Thermal Scanning at the entry point of
every polling station location(either by
polling staff or Para Medical staff or Asha
worker).
12
• Earmarking circle for 15-20 persons of 2
yards (6 feet) distance for voters
standing in the queue depending on the
availability of space.
• There shall be three queues each, for
male, female, and PwD/ Senior citizen
voters.
• The services of BLOs, volunteers etc may
be engaged to monitor and regulate social
distancing norms strictly.
• One shaded waiting areas with chairs, dari
etc. will be provided, for male and female
separately, within the polling station
premises.
14
• If temperature is above the set
norms of MoHFW at first reading,
then it will be checked twice and if it
remains, then the elector shall be
provided with token/certificate and
will be asked to come for voting at
the last hour of poll. At the last hour
of poll, such electors shall be
facilitated voting, strictly following
COVID-19 related preventive
measures.

• Help Desk for distribution of token to the

voters of first come first basis so that
15
 DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF POLL

1. Assignment of Duties to Polling Officers
And to have clear idea about various forms

2. Appointment of Election Agents

3. Preparation of EVM

4. Mock Poll

5. Sealing of EVM
DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

1. Assignment of Duties to Polling Officers

1ST POLLING OFFICER

Verification
of identity Read out
In charge of Electors serial No
of and entry of the
marked copy elector in the
electoral roll
 DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

1ST POLLING OFFICER

Marking
in the
Photo
Electoral
Roll PB
 DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

2nd POLLING OFFICER

In charge of Register
Of Voters (Form 17A)

Obtain Signature or Thumb

Impression of each elector

Issuance of Voters slip

In charge of indelible ink

 DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

3rd POLLING OFFICER

Receipt of Voters slip

n charge of CU (As per the direction of PO)

ON THE POLL DAY
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS INSIDE THE POLLING
STATION
Part I: MOCK POLL
Conduct of Mock Poll and sealing of EVMs and
WPATs in the Polling Stations

During the mock poll, BU and VVPAT should

be placed in the Voting Compartment, where
a Polling Officer should be present along with
polling agents to observe

This Polling Officer will keep a record of the

votes cast. After the mock poll, Presiding
Officer will ascertain the result in the CU,
count the ballot slips in the presence of the
polling agents and confirm that the results
tally for each candidate.
All mock poll data in CU and ballot slips from WPAT must be
removed by the Presiding Officer and the drop box verified by
the Polling Agents
The mock poll ballot slips shall be kept in an envelope made
of thick black paper, sealed with the seal of the Presiding
Officer.
The Presiding Officer and polling agents must put their
signatures on the envelope.
The number and name of the polling station, number and
name of Assembly Constituency, date of poll and the words
"Printed paper slips of Mock Poll" shall be written on the
envelope.

This envelope must be kept in the special plastic box for mock poll
and sealed with a pink paper seal placed all around in such a
manner that opening of the box will require breaking of the seal. The
number and name of the polling station, number and name of
Assembly Constituency and the date of poll shall be written on the
plastic box

The Presiding Officer and Polling Agents must put their signatures
on the pink paper seal and keep the box along with other documents
relating to elections. Thereafter, Presiding Officer will sign the Mock
Part II: ACTUAL POLL
A)When an elector enters the polling station, he will first go to 1st Polling
officer, who shall identify the voter as per the marked copy of Electoral role
and valid ID proof. PRO may intervene if necessary. The slide below is from
the ECI Minor errors in EPIC are to be ignored. Please Note: PVS won’t be
accepted as stand-alone id proof. Pl see next slide
.
Electors Photo Identity Card or one of The Eleven Specified
Photo Identity Documents, Essential for Casting Vote
The Election Commission of India has directed that all electors in all
constituencies who have been issued Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) have to
produce the Electors Photo Identity Card for their identification at the polling station
before casting their votes. Those electors who are not able to produce the EPIC shall
produce one of the following alternative photo identity documents for establishing
their identity. The list of eleven documents is:
1.Passport
2.Driving License
3.Service Identity Cards with photograph issued to
employees by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited
Companies
4.Passbooks with photograph issued by Bank/Post Office
5.PAN Card
6.Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR
7.MNREGA Job Card
8.Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of
Ministry of Labour
9.Pension document with photograph
10.Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs, and
11.Aadhaar Card
• During the process of identification of voter, the
voters will require to lower the facemask for
identification, when required.
• At any given time, only 1(one) voter shall be
allowed to stand in front of each polling official
maintaining social distance.
• Hand gloves shall be provided to the voter, for
signing on the voter register and pressing
button of EVM for voting.
• Sanitizers shall be kept inside the booth at
appropriate locations with clear direction for the
use by voters.

31
• COVID-19 patients who are quarantined
will be allowed to cast their vote at the
last hour of the poll day at their
respective Polling Stations, under the
supervision of health authorities, strictly
following COVID-19 related preventive
measures. Sector Magistrates shall
coordinate this in their allocated polling
stations.

• In case of those voters who are residing

in the area notified as containment zone,
guidelines shall be issued separately.
32
B) Then elector will move to 2nd Polling Officer who will

 Note down the serial number of electoral roll of that elector as it

is read out aloud by 1st Polling Officer.

 Apply indelible ink on the left forefinger of the elector in such a

way to make a line from the top end of the nail to the bottom of
the left forefinger first joint. If any elector refuses to allow his
left forefinger to be inspected or marked with indelible ink or he
has already such a mark on his left forefinger, or he does any act
with a view to removing the ink mark, he shall not be allowed to
vote. After the ink has been duly applied, then

 obtain elector’s signature or thumb impression in the Relevant

column of Register of voters in Form 17 A. Particulars of EPIC
or other alternate identification as prescribed by ECI, shall be
mentioned in Remarks column

 Prepare a voter’s slip filling all required particulars

 Thereafter, the elector will move to 3 rd Polling Officer or Presiding Officer,
C)
who is in charge of Control Unit –

Who will first recheck that the indelible mark is clear on the finger of the
elector. If it is found that it is not clear or has been wiped off then, apply once
again.
Thereafter, he will take voters slip and allow the voter to go to voting compartment
so that he may cast vote. For this, he will press “Ballot” button of the machine. The
voter shall be allowed to vote exactly in the same sequence in which, his details have
been recorded in Register of Voters (17A).

D) The voter shall record his vote and then immediately

leave.
E) Before leaving, a group ‘D’ employee posted in polling station once again may
check for indelible ink mark on voter finger.

The Application of indelible ink is a must under Rule 49 K which is a guard against a
vital safeguard against impersonation and ensures that the same voter does not vote
more than once. It has to be applied on the left forefinger. If an elector has no left
forefinger, then indelible ink should be applied on any such finger, which he has on
his left hand
VVPAT COMPLAINT ISSUES
If an elector after having recorded his vote alleges that
the paper trail generated by the printer has shown the
name or symbol of a candidate other than the one he
voted for, the Presiding Officer shall :

obtain a written declaration from the elector as to the

allegation, after warning the elector about the
consequence of making a false declaration,
make a second entry related to that elector in Form
17A,
permit the elector to record a test vote in the voting
machine.

If the allegation is found to be true, the Presiding

Officer shall report the facts immediately to the
Returning Officer; stop further recording of votes in
that machine. If the allegation is found to be false, the
Presiding Officer should take appropriate action as
given the Presiding Officer’s Handbook
 The Presiding Officer of every polling station
should be asked to maintain a diary in which he
should record the proceedings connected with the
poll in the polling station. He should be asked to
go on recording the relevant events in the diary
as and when they occur.
 If Presiding Officers do not make the entries in the
relevant columns of the diary at regular intervals
or from time to time and complete the diary at
the end of the poll that is highly objectionable and
it should be impressed upon all Presiding Officers
that any lapse on their part in the proper
maintenance of diary at all points of time during
the process of poll will be seriously viewed by the
commission
 The Commission has recently directed that in
addition to Presiding Officer diary, Presiding
Officer will be required to submit additional inputs
 The poll should be closed at the hour fixed for the
purpose, even if for certain unavoidable reason it had
commenced somewhat later than the hour appointed.
 However, all electors present at the polling station at the
hour appointed for the close of poll should be permitted
to cast their vote even if the poll has to be continued for
sometime beyond the appointed closing hour.
 For this, he should distribute pre-numbered slips to all
electors standing in queue, starting from the last person
in queue at the prescribed time for end of polling

 For closing the poll after the last voter has recorded his
vote, the voting machine has to be closed so that no
further recording of votes in the machine is possible. For
that purpose, the Presiding Officer should press the
‘Close’ button on the control unit. When the close button
is pressed, display panels on the control unit will show
the total number of votes recorded in the voting machine
till the end of the poll (but not the candidate-wise tally).
The total number of votes recorded in the machine must
tally with account of votes
DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLLING OFFICERS

CLOSING OF EVM

Supply of
attested Closing of
copies Voters
of 17 C to Register
Polling (17 A)
Agents
 SEALING OF ELECTION PAPERS
IN HAND

1.The account of votes recorded and paper seal account (in Form 17C).
2. The declarations by the Presiding Officer before the commencement of poll, during the
poll and after close of poll (Annexure 5).
3. The Presiding Officer’s Diary
4. Visit Sheet and
5. The 16-Point Observer’s Report

1st PACKET (Green): “STATUTORY COVERS”

1. The sealed cover containing the marked copy of the electoral roll
2. The sealed cover containing the Register of Voters
3. The sealed cover containing voter’s slips
4. The sealed cover containing unused tendered ballot papers
5. The sealed cover containing the used tendered ballot papers and the list in Form 17B.

(Even if a statement or record to be put in any cover mentioned above is ‘Nil’, a slip noting
on it that the statement or record is ‘Nil’ may be put in the cover and the total number of
five inner covers be made ready. Each of the five smaller covers/packets to be included in
the first packet marked“STATUTORY COVERS” should be sealed.)
 2nd PACKET (Yellow) “NON-STATUTORY COVERS”
1. The cover containing the copy or copies of electoral roll (other than the marked copy)
2. The cover containing the appointment letters of polling agents in Form 10
3. The cover containing the election duty certificates in Form 12- B
4. The sealed cover containing the list of challenged votes in Form14
5. The cover containing the list of blind and infirm electors in Form14-A and the
declarations of the companions
6. The cover containing the declarations obtained from electors as to their age and the list
of such electors
7. Cover containing the receipt book and cash, if any, in respect of challenged votes
8. Cover containing unused and damaged paper seals
9. Cover containing unused voter’s slips
10. Cover containing unused and damaged special tags
11. Cover containing unused and damaged strip seals
(Even if a statement or record to be put in any cover mentioned above is ‘Nil’, a slip noting on it that
the statement or record is ‘Nil’ may be put in the cover and the total number of five inner covers be
made ready. The other smaller covers/packets containing various non-statutory papers and items of
election materials to be included in the 2 nd, 3rd & 4th packets marked “NON- STATUTORY COVERS”
may be prepared separately but need not be sealed {except the cover containing the list of challenged
votes in Form 14) in order to save time.})
3rd PACKET (Brown) “NON-STATUTORY COVERS”
1. The Handbook for Presiding Officer
2. Manual of Electronic Voting Machine and VVPAT
3. Indelible ink set (with stopper having been secured on each phial effectively with
molten candle or wax applied thereon to prevent leakage or evaporation)
4. Self-inking pads
5. The metal seal of the Presiding Officer
6. The arrow cross-mark rubber stamp for marking tendered ballot papers
7. Cup for setting the indelible ink

4th PACKET (Blue) “NON-STATUTORY COVERS”

*All the other items, if any, should be packed into the Fourth packet

(The other smaller covers/packets containing various non-statutory papers and items of
election materials to be included in the 2 nd, 3rd & 4th packets marked “NON-
STATUTORY COVERS” may be prepared separately but need not be sealed {except
the cover containing the list of challenged votes in Form 14) in order to save time.)