Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa Resigns, To Join ADB As V-P

Lavasa was appointed as an Election Commissioner in 2018 and would have retired as the CEC in October 2022.

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa resigned from his post on Tuesday, 18 August, and is all set to join the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

He has submitted his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind and has asked to be relieved on 31 August, reported The Indian Express.

Appointed to ADB Last Month

This comes a month after Lavasa was appointed as the vice-president for private sector operations and public-private partnerships at ADB. Lavasa will be replacing Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on 31 August. According to NDTV, the Centre had approved his appointment to ADB.

"He is currently one of the Election Commissioners of India and previously served in a range of senior posts including as Union Finance Secretary of India; Union Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change; and Union Secretary for the Ministry of Civil Aviation... He has extensive experience in public-private partnerships and infrastructure development at the state and federal levels, with deep knowledge on public policy and the role of the private sector," the Philippines-based ADB had said in a statement on 15 July.

The term of an ADB vice-president is for three years and can be extended up to five years.

Opposed Clean Chit to PM Modi

62-year-old Lavasa was appointed as an Election Commissioner in 2018 and would have retired as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in October 2022.

He made headlines during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when he opposed the clean chit given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former BJP President Amit Shah on charges of violating the Model Code of Conduct during the polls. Soon after, his wife and son came under the scanner of the Income Tax department for alleged non-disclosure of income.