Maharashtra Assembly polls: Sharad Pawar's bags checked in Baramati

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's bags were checked by the poll personnel at Baramati helipad in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday morning, according to his associate.

Pawar was on way to attend a poll rally in Solapur, the associate said.

The model of code of conduct is enforced in the state for the assembly elections scheduled on November 20.

"While 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.

On Saturday, poll authorities checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra's Amravati district where he arrived for a poll rally.

Later, 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.

The 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.

He also sought to know if the election officials had checked the bags of the chief minister, the state's two deputy CMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Over the past few days, videos surfaced showing bags of Shah, CM Shinde, his deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar being checked by poll authorities.

Shah had in a post on X said the BJP believes in free and fair elections and follows all laid-down rules and protocols.