Mumbai, Maharashtra (November 14, 2024): Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole's helicopter and personal bags were checked by an election official today at Tiroda helipad. Patole was on his way to campaign for an NCP-SCP candidate in the Goregaon Assembly constituency when the check occurred.
This follows similar checks on the bags and helicopters of several political leaders. On Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's helicopter and bag were also checked during his campaign. Additionally, videos surfaced showing BJP and NCP leaders, including Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, undergoing similar checks by election officials.
The issue gained attention after Uddhav Thackeray expressed frustration over the repeated checks of his bags and asked whether the 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.
However, sources in the Election Commission clarified that enforcement agencies are strictly following standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure a level playing field, ANI reported. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said these checks, including those on helicopters, are part of efforts to prevent misuse of power and ensure fairness and transparency during the election process.
Voting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections is scheduled for November 20 and results to be announced on November 23.