Sharad Pawar's Helicopter and Bags Checked Amid Maharashtra Election

In the lead-up to the Maharashtra Assembly elections, authorities are rigorously enforcing the Model Code of Conduct. As part of these measures, election officials inspected the bags and helicopter of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. The incident occurred on Sunday morning at the Baramati helipad in Pune district, as Pawar was traveling to Solapur for an election rally. A video clip of the inspection has since gone viral on social media.

The incident sparked criticism from opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, who questioned the selective scrutiny. Uddhav Thackeray criticized the move, asking why similar checks were not conducted on the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

In response, election officials conducted bag inspections for Shinde, Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and even Amit Shah. Earlier, similar inspections were carried out for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Polling in Maharashtra is scheduled for November 20, with the counting of votes, including for Jharkhand, set for November 23. This intensified enforcement of election rules highlights the authorities' efforts to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.