Appointment of Presiding Officers for Polling Stations

(1) The Returning Officer shall appoint a Presiding Officer for each polling station in the Gaon Sabha Area and such polling officer or 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. (2) A Polling Officer shall, if so directed by the Presiding Officer, perform all or any of the functions of a Presiding Officer under this Chapter. (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 such absence.