Maharashtra elections 2024: Sharad Pawar's bags checked by Election Commission officials in Baramati

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's bags were checked by the poll personnel at Baramati helipad in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday morning, according to his associate, reported PTI.

Pawar was on way to attend a poll rally in Solapur, he said.

The model of code of conduct is enforced in the state for the Maharashtra elections 2024 scheduled on November 20, reported PTI.

"While Pawar saheb was on his way to Karmala poll rally in Solapur, his bags were checked at the Baramati helipad. After the due checking, he boarded the chopper and proceeded for the rally," the associate said, reported PTI.

On Saturday, poll authorities checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra's Amravati district where he arrived for a poll rally.

Later, former state minister and Congress' Teosa MLA Yashomati Thakur questioned the action of the poll authorities and asked why they were not checking bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reported PTI.

The issue of poll officials checking politicians' luggage entered electoral discourse after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recently filmed his bags being inspected and shared the video of it, reported PTI.

He also sought to know if the election officials had checked the bags of the chief minister, the state's two deputy CMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Over the past few days, videos surfaced showing bags of Shah, CM Shinde, his deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar being checked by poll authorities.

Shah had in a post on X said the BJP believes in free and fair elections and follows all laid-down rules and protocols.

After Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar posts video of checking of his bags

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

Everyone should respect the law and support efforts to uphold the integrity of the country's democracy, Pawar said in a post on his X account and posted a video showing his bags being checked in his Baramati assembly constituency here.

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.

The videos of the two leaders were posted to apparently blunt Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray's claims of being 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.

The Sena (UBT) leader 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.

(With inputs from PTI)