The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c19.19

c19.19

The names of the nominees for each of the thirty wards were to be inscribed on voting tickets, and on the day of election a meeting of the General Assembly was convened by the Finance Committee of the current year at the principal temple. All the priests attending the temple were expected to be present in the inner chamber (*antarâla*). The nomination tickets for each ward were tied up in separate packets and placed in a jar or voting urn. Then the eldest of the temple priests held up the jar before the whole assembly, and one of the packets was drawn at random by any young boy who stood near. The packet thus drawn was placed in another jar, and from this the boy drew one nomination ticket and handed it over to the arbitrator, or returning officer, who was to receive it " on the palm of his hand with the five fingers open." The arbitrator then read out the name on the ticket and it was handed on to be read out in turn by all the temple priests present. One nominee for each of the wards was similarly drawn and declared duly elected for the ensuing year of office.