Amidst the ongoing controversy of routine checking of bags of political leaders by the Election Commission, another video surfaced on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) where it is seen that the bags of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are being checked by the EC in Palghar district.
Mr. Shinde’s luggage was being checked at the Palghar police ground helipad as part of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He was in Palghar for the upcoming State Assembly election campaign. The security check was done for the CM’s bags as well as the helicopter he travelled in.
This video surfaced a day later after Shiv Sena [UBT] chief Uddhav Thackeray had released a video from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, expressing his anger for being targeted. Questioning the ECI staff engaged in checking, Mr. Thackeray shot a video of the officials frisking his bags and questioned them whether the bags of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be checked ever. He also questioned whether the bags of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are checked at all in the same manner.
On Wednesday (November 13, 2024), Mr. Thackeray’s convoy was stopped again for security checks at the Inshuli check post of the Maharashtra-Goa border in the Sindhudurg district. Mr. Thackeray was accompanied by his son, Tejas Thackeray, to campaign in the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra.
Following this, several Mahayuti leaders posted videos of their bags being checked, including Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Expressing support towards Mr. Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party [SP] leader Supriya Sule said, “It is nothing but dirty politics! Why was Uddhav Thackeray’s bags checked twice, whereas leaders of Mahayuti, who are in power, are not going through the rigorous bag checking in the same manner?”
Published – November 14, 2024 02:21 am IST