Maharashtra: Helicopter, bags of Ajit Pawar checked by EC officials in Baramati | VIDEO

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: However, sources in the Election Commission earlier clarified that enforcement agencies are strictly following Standard Operating Procedures for a level playing field.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar today (November 13) said that his bags were inspected by election authorities when he arrived in Baramati to campaign for the assembly elections.

The NCP candidate from Baramati Pawar posted on X and said, "Today, while on my way for election campaigning, the Election Commission conducted a routine check of my bags and helicopter. I fully cooperated and believe that such measures are essential to ensure free and fair elections. Let us all respect the law and support efforts to uphold the integrity of our democracy."

'Dirty politics being done in Maharashtra': Supriya Sule on poll body checking Uddhav Thackeray's bag

Earlier, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) leader Supriya Sule condemned the checking of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's helicopter and bags by the Election Commission of India and called it dirty politics.

Sule said Thackeray's bags were checked twice, while the bags of politicians in power are not checked like this. Speaking to media, Sule said, "How is it possible that only opposition leaders' bags are checked? Uddhav Thackeray's bags were checked twice. No checking of the leaders in power is done. Such dirty politics is being done in Maharashtra."

On Tuesday (November 12), Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's helicopter and bags were checked in Latur before his Ausa Rally in support of the MVA candidate, earlier today. After the incident Thackeray expressed anger, asking whether ECI officials checked the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar.

Helicopters of Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda were also checked during the election. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a similar issue was raised in Bihar. It was clarified then that helicopters of prominent leaders, including BJP National President JP Nadda, were checked by enforcement agencies.

Specifically, Nadda's helicopter was inspected in Bhagalpur on April 24, 2024, and Home Minister Amit Shah's helicopter was checked in Katihar on April 21, 2024, as per SOP. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, during the announcement of the ongoing assembly elections, also emphasized that enforcement agencies have been directed to check the helicopters of all leaders to ensure a level playing field.

This move aims to prevent any undue influence or misuse of power during the elections and to maintain fairness and transparency in the electoral process.

To counter Uddhav Thackeray, BJP posts video showing checking of Devendra Fadnavis' bags

The Maharashtra BJP today 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.

Some leaders have the habit of creating "drama", the BJP said in the post, which comes after former CM Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) shared videos online over the last two days of his bags being checked by poll authorities.

In the last two days, Thackeray claimed his bags were inspected by the election authorities after he arrived in Latur and Yavatmal districts to campaign for the November 20 state assembly elections.

Thackeray 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. On Wednesday, the state BJP unit posted footage on its social media handle X, showing Fadnavis' bags being checked by security personnel at Kolhapur airport on November 5.

The ruling party in the post along with the video said, "Let it be, some leaders just have a habit of creating drama." The BJP said the deputy CM's bag was checked in Yavatmal district on November 7, but he neither recorded any video nor made a fuss about it. Earlier, on November 5, Fadnavis' bags were also checked at the Kolhapur airport, it said referring to the video.

"Simply holding the Constitution for show is not enough; one must also follow constitutional systems. We only request that everyone respects the Constitution," the BJP said in the post.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis said Thackeray was trying to divert the attention by needlessly protesting about the checking of his bags by poll officials and was "seeking votes by whining". What is wrong with checking of bags? the senior BJP leader had wondered. Thackeray's frustration was showing, he added.