New Delhi, May 18: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Saturday issued a statement on Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa's purported letter to him. In the statement, Arora said, "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." This comes after Lavasa decided to stay away from the meetings related to Model Code of COndusces due to his dissent on the clean chit given to PM Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, sources said.

EC Lavasa had written a letter to Sunil Arora stating that he is forced to stay away from the meetings of the Full Commission since "minority decisions" were not being recorded. He has recused himself from all meetings on MCC issues from the first week of this month. Clean Chit to PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah: Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa Opts Out of EC Meetings.

Replying to Lavasa, Arora in a statement said, "an unsavory and avoidable controversy reported in sections of media today about internal functioning of ECI in respect of handling of Model Code of Conduct....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. "

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The 3-member "full commission" of the EC consists of the CEC Sunil Arora and the two election commissioners - Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra. The election panel's rules express a preference for a unanimous view, but provide for a majority (2:1) ruling in the absence of unanimity.

"Minority decisions recorded by me in several cases continue to be suppressed in a manner contrary to well-established conventions observed by multi-member statutory bodies," Lavasa wrote to Sunil Arora on May 16. "...It appears futile for me to participate in the deliberations of the commission until its lawful functioning is restored in terms of including the minority decisions recorded by me," he said.

"In the present circumstances, I am left with no option but to keep away from such proceedings. I may also take recourse to other requisite measures in respect of the above (lawful functioning of the commission in terms of including my minority views)," Lavasa said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2019 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).