CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Amid the growing controversy over the frisking of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's bags, poll officials also checked the luggage of several other political leaders, including Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, during their election rallies in Maharashtra.
While Thackeray has raised concerns about political motives behind the checks, officials have pointed to Election Commission guidelines as the basis for the scrutiny.
Senior BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari and Vinod Tawde, along with Congress’s Amit Deshmukh, underwent similar bag checks at the Kasar Shirsi helipad on Tuesday.
The BJP supported the officials' reasoning behind the frisking. In a post on X, the party stated that the bags of its leaders, including deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, were also checked, but they did not make a fuss about it.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Congress leader Nana Patole, and RPI's Ramdas Athawale were also subjected to the same procedures while traveling by air in Latur as part of their campaign.
Additionally, a car belonging to supporters of Shiv Sena’s Abdul Sattar was frisked at Soygaon, but nothing objectionable was found.
Uddhav Thackeray had expressed his displeasure on Monday after his bags were checked by Election Commission officials at Wani in Yavatmal, ahead of his rally.
He questioned whether such checks had been conducted on other prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, or his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
On Tuesday, Thackeray posted a video showing the election staff frisking his bags at Kasar Shirsi.
He urged them to "not be shy" while checking his luggage, but asked them to first present their identity cards and appointment letters. He also asked them to disclose if they had any money in their wallets.
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