New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accuse election committee Inspection procedures were biased during the campaign. Raut claimed that while Shiv Sena leaders faced intense scrutiny on their luggage, helicopters and personal vehicles, prominent leaders of the ruling alliance seemed to have bypassed similar checks.
Raut claimed, “Our luggage, helicopter, private plane, car, everything is checked. They arrive at our house. If it is done fairly, we will not have any problem. Where Eknath ShindeAjit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis are competing and have reached Rs 25-25 crore. We also showed a video on how to transport 20-20 luggage via helicopter during the Lok Sabha elections. Our luggage was checked, but so were the helicopters and cars of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah? Do they only have clothes in their bags? Don’t observers see the allocation of funds in Maharashtra?
“If anyone checks PM Modi’s helicopter in Odisha, that person will be suspended. Doesn’t PM Modi fall under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission? Can the Prime Minister, Prime Minister and Union Ministers distribute anything to the people? This is What justice? he added.
The issue surfaced after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray Monday shared a similar experience. Addressing a public rally in Wani, Yavat Malvani, where he was campaigning for the November 20 assembly elections, Thackeray narrated how his own bag was subjected to Check the situation.
“They arrive at our homes; they carefully check every item we carry. But will they also check the luggage of Prime Minister Modi and other senior leaders?” he asked, questioning the impartiality of the ECI.
Thackeray, who made the remarks while supporting Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Derkar, urged supporters and voters to “check the pockets and identity cards of officials” while conducting searches, highlighted the imbalance in enforcement. “I am not upset with the election authorities; they are doing their job. But I also have my responsibility,” Thackeray stressed, calling for a level playing field.
In a video shared by the Shiv Sena (UBT) on its X handle, Thackeray questioned selective scrutiny by election officials. He asked if they checked the luggage of ruling alliance leaders, specifically mentioning Chief Minister Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Fadnavis and Pawar, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah. When officials responded that the leaders were yet to visit the region, Thackeray asked them to check Modi and Shah’s luggage and send a video as proof.
Thackeray also expressed dismay over what he termed “undemocratic practices”, saying, “In a democracy, no one should be exempt from scrutiny. If the Election Commission fails to check the baggage of ruling leaders, Shiv Sena (UBT) and opposition MVA staff will bear their own responsibility.
