Election officials in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu conducted checks on Monday aboard a helicopter carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The search took place after the helicopter landed in the area.
Gandhi was en route to his parliamentary constituency, Wayanad in Kerala, for campaigning activities and public meetings ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
He is contesting for re-election from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, with voting scheduled for April 26.
Confident of a strong electoral performance in Southern India, Rahul Gandhi has been focusing extensively on key states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, where the party hopes to secure the majority of seats.
Last week, Gandhi launched the Congress' manifesto in a rally in Hyderabad, Telangana. He also participated in a large INDIA alliance rally with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin in Coimbatore two days back.
Most polling agencies predict a better performance by the INDIA bloc in these states. In Kerala, the UDF led by Congress is expected to sweep the polls with 18-19 seats. In Tamil Nadu, various agencies predict 35-39 seats for the DMK-Congress alliance. In Telangana, where Congress looks to improve its performance compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, recent assembly victories have charged up the party.