The Election Commission officials on Friday checked the helicopter and bags of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his election rally in the Hingoli Assembly segment of Maharashtra.

The Union Home Minister, taking to X, shared a video which showcased that election officials were checking the helicopter ferrying him and his bags.

“Today, during my election campaign in the Hingoli Assembly constituency of Maharashtra, my helicopter was inspected by Election Commission officials,” Shah said.

The Home Minister said the BJP believes in a free and fair elections process and follows all the rules made by the Election Commission. “We all must contribute to a healthy election system and perform our duties in keeping India as the strongest democracy in the world,” he added.

Shah was in the state to campaign for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance ahead of the November 20 Assembly elections.

The issue of poll officials checking politicians’ luggage entered electoral discourse after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray 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 Shah.

The officials had checked the bags of Thackeray on Monday and Tuesday, after his arrival in Yavatmal and Latur, respectively.

The election body officials on Wednesday checked the bags of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale.

Shinde’s bags were checked at the Palghar police ground helipad after his arrival for the election campaign in the state.

Taking a jibe at the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Shinde said, “Let them check, they are doing their duty.” Whereas, Ramdas Athawale’s bags were checked by the officers after he arrived in Pune by helicopter.

According to the Election Commission of India, the aircraft and helicopters of top leaders across the political spectrum are checked as part of the standard operating procedure.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi faced an unexpected delay after his helicopter remained grounded in Jharkhand’s Godda awaiting clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

Reportedly, the helicopter was allowed to take off after a delay of 45 minutes amid high-stakes campaigning for the final phase of the state’s assembly elections.

The Congress alleged that the hold-up was a calculated move to disrupt Rahul Gandhi’s campaign schedule. Reports said that the party leaders pointed fingers at Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi’s rally in Chakai, about 150 kilometres from Godda, suggesting that the Air Traffic Control’s decision prioritised the PM’s event over Mr Gandhi’s movements.

Congress MLA from Mahagama Constituency, Deepika Pandey Singh said that just because the PM is in Deogarh, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to cross that area. Calling the delay unacceptable, the Congress MLA said that there is the protocol they understand but Congress ruled the country for 70 years and such an incident never happened with any opposition leader. 

She further added that during Lok Sabha election BJP have frozen bank accounts, created hurdles for the opposition, and now the party is obstructing their campaign efforts to prevent them from contesting election on equal footing. 

Earlier, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren sought President’s intervention over the delay in his chopper takeoff due to concern over PM Narendra Modi’s security. Kalpana Soren also alleged that she was prevented from flying to campaign in Latehar and accused the BJP and opposition parties for hindering the party’s effort to reach people.  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft experienced a technical glitch due to which the aircraft had to remain at the Deogharh airport causing a delay in his return to the national capital. 

The first phase of Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024 was held on November 13. The second phase will be held on November 20. The results for the election will be declared on November 23. 

In a horrific incident, six people died in a car accident in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun earlier this week while returning from a party. The incident occurred around 1.30 am at the ONGC Chowk on November 12 when the car they were in collided with a truck, reducing their vehicle to a mangled wreck.

A video of the incident is doing rounds across social media platforms which shows the impact of the collision was so strong that it tore off the Toyota Innova’s roof and twisted it. Two passengers were left decapitated in the incident. The disturbing video also showed one of the victim’s head ripped off, while another person’s body can be seen twisted inside the crushed car. Multiple other body parts of the victims are also seen scattered around the road.

Reports stated that a group of seven friends were returning from a party that night and were drunk. The police identified the victims as Kumal Kukreja (23), Atul Agrawal (24), Rishabh Jain (24), Navya Goel (23), Kamakshi (20), and Guneet (19). The officials added that the seventh person, Siddhesh Agrawal (25), who had reportedly hosted the party in Dehradun, is the sole survivor but remains in a critical condition.

The officials said that while six victims hailed from Dehradun, Kukreja is from Himachal Pradesh. The police asserted that it was not immediately clear where the group was coming from and an investigation is underway.

Reacting to the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief at the loss of lives in the incident. He said that the news of the death of six youths in a road accident in Dehradun is extremely heart-rending. He prayed that God might grant the departed souls a place at his sacred feet and give strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense pain.