The resignation of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Ashok Lavasa joined as Election Commissioner on 23 January 2018, it was almost two and a half years at the commission.
He is the second electoral commissioner to step down from the poll panel before the end of his tenure. Election commissioners have a six-year term, or up to age 65, whichever is sooner.
Lavasa was next in line to head the poll panel and to become the chief Election Commissioner of India after the retirement of current CEC Sunil Arora in April 2021.
Last year, Lavasa submitted a dissident statement to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on charges of violation of the Model Code of Conduct to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former BJP President Amit Shah.
“The President is pleased to accept the resignation of Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner with effect from 31 August 2020”, reviewed Tuesday’s notice from the Ministry of Law and Justice.