Section 15 in The Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets (Election to Market Committees), Rules 1961
15. Appointment of presiding officers for polling stations.
(1)The Returning Officer shall appoint a presiding officer for each polling station and such polling officers as he thinks necessary, but he shall not appoint any person who has been employed by or on behalf of, or has been otherwise working for a candidate in or about 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 or about the election, to be the polling officer during the absence of the former officer, and inform the Returning Officer accordingly :Provided further that nothing in this sub-rule shall prevent the Returning Officer from appointing the same person to be the presiding officer for more than one polling station in the same premises.(2)A polling officer shall, if so directed by the presiding officer, perform all or any of the functions of a presiding officer under these rules.(3)If the 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 previously authorised by the Returning Officer to perform such functions during any such absence.(4)The presiding officer shall be in general charge of all arrangements at the polling station and may issue orders as to the manner in which the persons shall be admitted to the polling station and generally for preservation of peace and order at or in the vicinity of the polling station. It shall be the duty of the polling officer at a polling station to assist the presiding officer of such station in the performance of his functions.
