Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Saturday denied any controversy in the internal functioning of the Election Commission over the handling of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) saying that "the three members of the Commission are not expected to be templates or clones of each other".
CEC Arora’s reaction came after EC Ashok Lavasa wrote at least three letters to the CEC, recusing himself from attending Full Commission meetings held to decide on MCC violations, after his dissent on the clean chit given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on their respective speeches, went unrecorded.
Lavasa, in his letter, insisted that he would attend the meetings if his minority decisions were also included in the orders of the Commission.
“The 3 members of EC are not expected to be template or clones of each other, there have been so many times in the past when there has been a vast diversion of views as it can, and should be,” the statement read.
Sunil Arora also said that such differences in views largely remained within confines of ECI after demission of office.
“But the same largely remained within confines of ECI after demission of office unless appearing much later in a book written by the concerned ECs/CECs. I personally never shied away from a public debate whenever required but there is time for everything,” the statement added.
CEC Sunil Arora called the reports over internal functioning of the Election Commission of India in respect of handling of Model Code of Conduct as "an unsavory and avoidable controversy".
Lavasa, earlier told Chief Election Commissioner Arora that his "participation in the deliberations of the Commission becomes meaningless" since his minority decisions "go unrecorded".
The three-member "Full Commission" consists of Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and two Election Commissioners, Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra.
(With inputs from agencies)
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