Section 30 in Tamil Nadu Local Bodies (Election of Members to the District Planning Committee) Rules, 1999
30. Fresh poll in the case of destruction of polling materials.
(1)If at the election of members to the committee, -(a)any polling material used at a polling station or at a place appointed for counting of votes is unlawfully taken out of the custody of the Presiding Officer or the Returning Officer or is accidentally or intentionally destroyed, or lost or is damaged or tampered with to such an extent that the result of the poll at that polling station cannot be ascertained; or(b)any such error or irregularity in procedure as is likely to vitiate the poll is committed at a polling station, the Returning Officer shall, forthwith, report the matter to the State Election Commission through the District Election Officer.(2)Thereupon, the State Election Commission shall, after taking all material circumstances into account, if satisfied, -(a)that a fresh poll is necessary, declare the poll at the polling station to be void, appoint a day and fix the hours for taking a fresh poll at that polling station and notify the day so appointed and hours so fixed in such a manner as it may deem fit besides intimating the contesting candidates; or(b)that the result of the poll at the polling station shall not in any way affect the result of the election or that the error or irregularity in procedure is not material, issue such directions to the Returning Officer to continue the poll and complete the election.(3)The provisions of these rules or orders made thereunder shall apply to every such poll as they apply to the original poll.
