Section 55 in Andhra Pradesh Municipalities (Conduct of Election of Members) Rules, 2005
55. Counting of votes.
(1)The counting of votes shall commence on the day and at the place and hour appointed in that behalf. The postal ballot papers shall be counted first. Votes shall be counted by or under the supervision of the Election Officer. Each candidate, the election agent and the counting agent of each candidate shall have a right to be present at the time of counting. No other person shall be allowed to be present except such person as the Election Officer may appoint to assist him in counting votes and no person shall be appointed to assist in counting votes who has been employed by or on behalf of any candidate for any purpose whatsoever connected with the election.(2)The Election Officer shall, before he commences to count the votes read out the provisions of Section 343-F of the Act to such person as may be present and shall then count and check all the ballot boxes placed for the counting of votes and satisfy himself that all such ballot boxes as contain the ballot papers which are to be counted at such place have been received and accounted for.(3)The Election Officer shall allow, the candidates and their election agents and counting agents present at the counting, reasonable opportunities to inspect the ballot boxes and their seals for satisfying themselves that they are in order.(4)If any ballot box is found by the Election Officer to have been tampered or interfered with or destroyed or lost, or if at any time, before counting of votes is completed and ballot papers used at a polling station or at a place fixed for the poll are unlawfully taken out of the custody of the Election Officer or are accidentally or intentionally destroyed or lost or are damaged or tampered with to such an extent that the result of the poll at that polling station or place cannot be ascertained, the Election Officer shall follow the procedure laid down in Section 343-X of the Act.(5)The ballot boxes relating to all polling stations in a ward and all envelopes pertaining thereto enclosed which may have been received shall be opened one after another according to the serial number of the polling stations. The Election Officer shall take out the ballot papers from all the ballot boxes. The ballot papers so taken out shall be mixed, counted and record the total number of votes secured by the candidate concerned in a statement.(6)The Election Officer shall allow the candidates and their agents reasonable opportunities to inspect without handling, all ballot papers which in his opinion are liable to be rejected. He shall endorse the word 'rejected on every ballot paper which is rejected. If any candidate or agent present questions the correctness of the rejection, he shall also record on the ballot papers the grounds for the rejection.(7)The Election Officer shall, as far as practicable, proceed continuously with the counting of the votes and shall, during any necessary intervals during which the counting has to be suspended, place the ballot papers, packets and other documents relating to the election under his own seal and the seals of such candidates or agents as may desire to affix them and shall cause adequate precautions to be taken for their custody.
