Section 80(1)(a) in The Tamil Nadu Town Panchayats, Third Grade Municipalities, Municipalities and Corporations (Elections) Rules, 2006
(a)any voting machine 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 any voting machine develop a mechanical failure during the course of the recording of votes; or