Election officials on Wednesday inspected the bags of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde at the helipad of the Palghar Police ground, following recent allegations by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who alleged election authorities were targeting him selectively by conducting bag checks during his campaign visits.
This heated row over Maharashtra’s election campaign regarding bag checks of political leaders reached a new height as the Election Commission continued to check bags of high-profile persons.
#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
Uddhav Thackeray’s Allegations
Uddhav Thackeray, who recently accused the EC of bias, after his bags were inspected during visits to Latur and Yavatmal districts earlier this week. “Will the same yardstick be applied for leaders in the ruling alliance, including PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, and CM Shinde? Does it make sense to have a democratic process where freedom and equality are equated with free running and free roaming of drugs men with Rs 50,000-1 lakh cash?” And, “Modi sahab can have the same scrutiny while his election rallies are going on.”.
“I am not angry with the election officials; they were just doing their job,” Thackeray clarified. “But the same law should be applied to everybody. Why is it that only opposition leaders are being checked?” He also complained about the genuineness of the process and whether senior leaders from the BJP will be likewise censured.
Reacting to the comments made by Thackeray, the Maharashtra BJP posted a video on its social media handle which depicted the deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s bags being checked at the Kolhapur airport to impress the point that bag checks were something which takes place in the normal course of all politicians and not exclusive to those belonging to the opposition. BJP leaders, including Fadnavis, dismissed Thackeray’s claims saying he was attempting to lay the focus elsewhere in the wake of his party’s performance by “whining” over the checking. “There is nothing wrong with checking bags. We even had our bags checked during campaigning, also,” Fadnavis said, insisting that the officials were only doing their normal duty.
High Profile Politicians Bags Checked
Other notable leaders who faced bag checks on Wednesday included Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and NCP leader Ajit Pawar. Pawar accepted the move, as he is seen in a video showing his bags were being checked while he and his party colleague in the helicopter were being whisked off for campaign travel. He said that checking at places was necessary so free and fair elections could be ensured. “Everyone should respect law and support efforts to uphold integrity of democracy,” Pawar tweeted while sharing video recordings of the inspection that revealed snacks such as ‘chaklis’ and ‘ladoos’ in his bag.
Election Commission’s defence
The Election Commission too has backed its positions, saying that these are part and parcel of transparency and fairness, and pointed out that these checks did not target any particular party or leader but ensured that all campaign materials stayed within the folds of the law.
The Telaengaon check post on the Assam-Nagaland border was also brought to a standstill on Wednesday when Thackeray’s convoy made it across. In Sindudurg, the Sahyadri to the south continued to pose a challenge as his vehicle was stopped at the Inshuli check post. “It’s absolute unmitigated provocation to humiliate the chief minister of the state like this,” said an agitated Thackeray as his vehicle was stopped. However, the personnel were lenient enough to let his convoy move when they recognized him. Thackeray later spoke at a rally in Sawantwadi and continued his campaign, undeterred by the interruption.
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