Ashok Lavasa resigns as Election Commissioner; to join ADB as vice president

New Delhi: Election commissioner Ashok Lavasa has put in his papers, ahead of his expected move to Manila to join as a vice-president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Sources told TOI that Lavasa has submitted his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind. He has supposedly sought to be relieved by August 31, when the term of the incumbent in the vice-president's post at ADB ends.
Lavasa, in the normal course, would have succeeded Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora upon his retirement in April next year and remained in the top post until October 2022. However, in a surprise move, he was picked for the position of one of the vice-presidents of ADB.
ADB announced the appointment on July 16.
Lavasa's exit will pave the way for election commissioner Sushil Chandra's appointment as CEC, going by the seniority convention, in April 2020.