Sharad Pawar's bags checked by Election Commission officials in Baramati

NCP SP chief Sharad Pawars bags were checked by the poll personnel at Baramati helipad in Maharashtras Pune district on Sunday morning according to his associate reported PTIPawar was on way to attend a poll rally in Solapur he saidThe model of code of conduct is enforced in the state for the Maharashtra elections 2024 scheduled on November 20 reported PTIWhile Pawar saheb was on his way to Karmala poll rally in Solapur his bags were checked at the Baramati helipad After the due checking he boarded the chopper and proceeded for the rally the associate said reported PTIOn Saturday poll authorities checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtras Amravati district where he arrived for a poll rallyLater former state minister and Congress Teosa MLA Yashomati Thakur questioned the action of the poll authorities and asked why they were not checking bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reported PTIThe issue of poll officials checking politicians luggage entered electoral discourse after Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray recently filmed his bags being inspected and shared the video of it reported PTIHe also sought to know if the election officials had checked the bags of the chief minister the states two deputy CMs Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit ShahOver the past few days videos surfaced showing bags of Shah CM Shinde his deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar being checked by poll authoritiesShah had in a post on X said the BJP believes in free and fair elections and follows all laiddown rules and protocolsAfter Fadnavis Ajit Pawar posts video of checking of his bagsMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawars bags were checked by poll personnel on Wednesday while he was onboard a helicopter to travel for poll campaign and the NCP leader said such measures are needed to ensure free and fair electionsEveryone should respect the law and support efforts to uphold the integrity of the countrys democracy Pawar said in a post on his X account and posted a video showing his bags being checked in his Baramati assembly constituency hereEarlier in the day the Maharashtra BJP also posted a video on X showing checking of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis bags and said merely holding the Constitution for show is not enough and one must also follow the constitutional systemThe videos of the two leaders were posted to apparently blunt Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackerays claims of being selectively targeted by poll authorities who checked his bags in the last two daysThackeray had claimed his bags were inspected by the election authorities after he arrived in Latur and Yavatmal districts in the last two days to campaign for the November 20 state assembly electionsThe Sena UBT leader had also asked if the same law would be applied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the ruling alliance during their campaignWith inputs from PTI