Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray claimed that his bags were checked by poll officials, for a second day in a row, after his chopper landed at Ausa in Latur district.

On Monday, his bags were checked in Yavatmal district’s Wani. In a video posted by his faction of the Shiv Sena, Thackeray is heard referring to the Prime Minister’s visit to Solapur and telling officials: “Modi is coming today and I will send you to Solapur airport, which is shut (in view of the visit). Narendra Modi should also be subjected to this kind of checking.”

On Monday, Uddhav asked officials if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were also searched.

A source in the Election Commission (EC) clarified: “Regarding the checking of helicopters, there have been strict SOPs followed by enforcement agencies for a level playing field. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a similar issue was raised in Bihar and it was clarified that the helicopters of prominent leaders, including BJP national president J.P. Nadda and Amit Shah, were also checked according to the SOP.”

Checking the Prime Minister is a grey area. In 2019, the EC suspended IAS officer Mohammad Mohsin for getting the Prime Minister’s chopper checked.