Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's helicopter was inspected by election officials when he arrived in Palghar on Wednesday for campaigning in the Assembly elections. A video shared by India Today TV shows the chief minister interacting with the officials as they checked the helicopter and went through his belongings.

Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, claimed that Eknath Shinde's helicopter was checked twice by poll officials—once in Yavatmal and once in Latur. He alleged that this was done to create unnecessary problems for opposition leaders. Uddhav Thackeray captured poll workers searching through his possessions on camera. The former chief minister questioned whether the officials had also examined the baggage of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy officials, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, while they combed through his possessions.

He also asked as to whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi's and Amit Shah's baggage were inspected upon their arrival in Maharashtra for the Assembly election campaign. In response, poll officials asserted that stringent SOPs were adhered to in order to "level the playing field" prior to the state's Assembly elections on November 20. With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in place, election officials are conducting surprise checks to stop the distribution of gifts and cash to influence voters.

In other videos that have surfaced, election officials were seen inspecting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's helicopter when he arrived in Latur on Tuesday. The BJP also shared a video showing Devendra Fadnavis’s bags being checked by airport authorities, taking a verbal dig at the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief. The BJP said that "some leaders have a habit of showing off" in a shot at Uddhav Thackeray. "What is wrong with checking bags? We had our bags checked during campaigning, and there was no need for this level of frustration," Devendra Fadnavis said.

In an apparent reaction to Uddhav's statement, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar posted a video in which he claimed that poll workers had also examined his bags while he was travelling to campaign for the Assembly elections. "I fully cooperated and believe that such measures are essential to ensure free and fair elections. Let us all respect the law and support efforts to uphold the integrity of our democracy," he said.

Thackeray, who resigned as Chief Minister in 2022 after a rebellion in Shiv Sena by Eknath Shinde, had stated that if the election authorities don't inspect the bags of leaders from the ruling alliance, then workers from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi would do it instead. The Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held in one phase on November 20, and the vote counting will take place three days later.