Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar has been appointed as the Election Commissioner, replacing Ashok Lavasa, who had resigned from his post on 18 August and is all set to join the Asian Development Bank.
"In pursuance of clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Rajiv Kumar as the Election Commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office vice Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner who has resigned with effect from 31 August 2020 [sic]," said a notification of the Law Ministry.
In July, Lavasa had been 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.
The term of an ADB vice-president is for three years and can be extended up to five years.
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.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)