Section 231 · Adjournment of poll or countermanding of election on the ground of booth capturing

Adjournment of poll or countermanding of election on the ground of booth capturing - (1) If at any election, - (a) booth capturing has taken place at a polling station or in such number of polling stations as is likely to affect the result of such election or that the result of the poll at that polling station cannot be ascertained; or (b) booth capturing takes place in any place for counting of votes in such manner that the result of the counting at that place cannot be ascertained, the returning officer shall forthwith report the matter to the *[Andhra Pradesh Election Commissioner for Local Bodies]. (2) The *[Andhra Pradesh Election Commissioner for Local Bodies] shall on the receipt of a report from the returning officer under sub-section (1) and after taking all material circumstances into account, either,- (a) declare that the poll at that polling station be void, appoint a day, and fix the hours, for taking fresh poll at that polling station and notify the date so appointed and hours so fixed in such manner as he may deem fit, or (b) if satisfied that in view of the large number of polling stations involved in booth capturing the result of the election is likely to be affected or that booth capturing had affected counting of votes in such manner as to effect the result of the election, countermand the election in that constituency. Explanation: In this section "booth capturing" shall have the same meaning as in section 224.