Ashok Lavasa Resigns As Election Commissioner; To Join ADB As Vice-President

NEW DELHI: Ashok Lavasa on Tuesday resigned as Election Commissioner and would soon be joining the Asian Development Bank as vice president, as reported by a news agency citing sources.

Lavasa was next in line to head the EC. Lavasa still has over two years left in his term at the Election Commission of India. He would have retired as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in October 2022.

Lavasa has sent his resignation to Rashtrapati Bhavan and has requested to be relieved on August 31, the sources said.

He would be joining the Philippines-based ADB sometime in September.  He was named the bank's vice president last month.

The ADB had announced Lavasa’s appointment on July 15. “He (Lavasa) 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,” last month’s press statement had said.

Lavasa will succeed Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on August 31

Lavasa has an MBA degree from Southern Cross University in Australia, and MPhil in Defense and Strategic Studies degree from the University of Madras. He completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree with English Honors and a Master of Arts in English Literature from Delhi University.