Election Commissioner says won’t attend EC proceedings

Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 17

The split in the Election Commission of India over the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) seems wide open before the polling for the seventh and final phase of parliamentary election on Sunday, with one Election Commissioner deciding to excuse himself from the proceedings.

Having expressed his dissent on the “clean chit” to four speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and one by BJP national president Amit Shah, Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa is learnt to have shot off a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Sunil Arora, stating that he is being forced to stay away from the meetings of the Full Commission since “minority decisions” were not being recorded.

It is learnt that after receiving the letter, Arora sought an audience with Lavasa. Though it is not known whether that meeting actually took place and what transpired, Arora, when contacted, said, “I haven’t received the letter yet. I have been at home because I am unwell.”

Sources said Lavasa’s letter underlines the fact that, earlier this month, he had conveyed, through repeated reminders, that “minority decisions” related to the MCC should also find mention in the final orders of the Commission. However, he has alleged, such decisions by him are failing to find mention in the final order given out by majority in the three-member Commission.

Claiming that these orders continue to be suppressed in contravention of the established conventions of multi-member statutory bodies, Lavasa’s letter states that his participation in the deliberations of the Commission becomes meaningless since his “minority decisions” go unrecorded.

The letter mentions the futility of his presence at the deliberations on the complaints pertaining to the violation of MCC and concludes with his intent to stay away from these meetings. He adds that he could consider taking recourse to other measures aimed at restoring the “lawful functioning” of the Commission in terms of recording minority decisions.

He has also mentioned in the letter that his various notes on the need for transparency in the recording and disclosure of his decisions have gone unheeded, forcing him to withdraw from participating in deliberating on the complaints.