Maharashtra polls: EC searches Uddhav’s bags for second consecutive day; Sena (UBT) alleges foul play

The exercise was carried out by the election officials after his chopper arrived at a helipad in Ausa of Latur ahead of his rally scheduled to be held in Kasar Shirshi village.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses a public meeting ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls in Ausa Assembly constituency.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses a public meeting ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls in Ausa Assembly constituency.Photo | PTI
Updated on
2 min read

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray said that election officials inspected his belongings for a second day on Tuesday as he reached Latur, Maharashtra, to campaign for the upcoming November 20 assembly elections.

This comes a day after Thackeray on Monday claimed his bag was inspected by election authorities when he arrived in Maharashtra's Yavatmal to campaign for the elections.

The former chief minister's party posted a video on a social media platform of his bags being checked by the poll authorities.

On Monday, after his helicopter landed at Wani in Yavatmal district, his bag was checked by the authorities. A video of it was also posted.

Similarly on Tuesday, the same exercise was carried out by the election officials after his chopper arrived at a helipad in Ausa of Latur ahead of his rally scheduled to be held in Kasar Shirshi village.

Former MLA Dinakar Mane is contesting as the Sena (UBT) candidate from Ausa constituency.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) posted a video on its X handle, in which Thackeray is heard talking to the election staffers standing at the helipad, seeking to know their names and postings and also asking them to show their appointment letters.

During his interaction, the Sena (UBT) chief is heard asking them, "How many people have you searched so far?" On their response that he is the first one, he said, "Why am I always the first customer?"

"Our luggage is being searched and checked, but are the helicopters and cars of CM Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah also checked? Are there only clothes in their bags? Are (election) observers not able to see the money distribution going on in Maharashtra?” he asked.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Maharashtra during the day, he said, "Modi is coming today and I will send you to Solapur airport, which is shut (in view of the visit). Narendra Modi should also be subjected to this kind of checking."

Thackeray later said, "I am not angry with you, but the same law should be applied to Narendra Modi when he is coming for an election campaign."

He asked the officials, "Are you all Maharashtrians?" When they answered in the affirmative, he said, "We should live and die for Maharashtra and not do the jobs of other states."

The election authorities later confirmed that nothing objectionable was found in Thackeray's bags.

Later, at a rally in the Wani Assembly seat, Thackeray addressed the incident, advising allies to first verify the identity of individuals requesting to search their bags—and their pockets as well.

The controversy surrounding bag inspections surfaces during every election, whether federal or state, with parties accusing each other of transporting large sums of cash to buy votes.

Defending his party, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also questioned whether the bags of key ruling party figures were similarly inspected during their campaign activities.

“Our luggage, helicopter, private jet, cars... everything is checked. They can search our homes as well; we have no issue if it is done impartially. But in constituencies where Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and Devendra Fadnavis are contesting, Rs 25 crores have already been distributed,” Raut said, claiming that cash is being exchanged for votes.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com