Section 68(2) in The Orissa Municipal Corporation (Division of City into Wards, Reservation of Seats, and Conduct of Election) Rules, 2003
(2)The [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] shall, before he commences to count the votes read the provisions of Section 128 of Representation of the People Act, 1951 to such person as may be present, and shall then proceed as follows(a)Before any ballot box is opened at a counting table, the counting agents present at the table shall be allowed to inspect the paper seal or such other seal as might have been affixed thereon and to satisfy themselves that it is in tact. The [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] shall satisfy himself that none of the ballot boxes has in fact been tampered with;(b)The ballot box or boxes and all envelopes which may have been received under rule 51 for a particular ward shall be opened one after another. The [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] shall take out the ballot papers therefrom and count them in order of the serial number of names of candidates appearing in the ballot paper;(c)If the election Agent of any candidate, before declaration of the result of election, requests in writing to the [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] to re-examine and recount the votes, the [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] shall upon such request re-examine and recount the same without delay. The [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] may, however, re-examine and recount the votes suo motu either once or more than once in any case in which he is not satisfied as to the accuracy of any previous count;Provided that nothing in this clause shall make it obligatory on the part of the [Returning Officer] [Substituted vide O.G.E. No. 1404 dated 12.9.2003.] to re-examine or recount the same votes more than once.
