Maharashtra Polls: After Uddhav, EC Officials Check Bags Of Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar

(Photo:X/ANI)

Maharashtra Assembly Elections: The officials of the Election Commission checked the helicopter of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after he arrived in Palghar on Wednesday to campaign for the Assembly polls. A video of the incident has been doing the rounds on social media. In the video, CM Shinde was seen engaging with the election officials as they checked the helicopter and scanned his belongings.

This comes as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray claimed earlier that he was selectively targeted by poll authorities who checked his bags in the last two days. Thackeray had claimed his bags were inspected by the election authorities after he arrived in Latur and Yavatmal districts in the last two days to campaign for the November 20 state assembly elections.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: CM Eknath Shinde’s bags were checked at Palghar Police ground helipad where he reached for the election campaign.

(Source: Shiv Sena) pic.twitter.com/44CnWiTYzG — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2024

The former Maharashtra CM had also asked if the same law would be applied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the ruling alliance during their campaign.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's bags were also checked by poll personnel on Wednesday while he was onboard a helicopter to travel for the poll campaign, and the NCP leader said such measures are needed to ensure free and fair elections.

In a post on social media platform X, Pawar said that everyone should respect the law and support efforts to uphold the integrity of the country's democracy. He also posted a video showing his bags being checked in his Baramati assembly constituency.

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra BJP also posted a video on X showing checking of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' bags and said merely holding the Constitution for "show" is not enough and one must also follow the constitutional system.