Election officials’ routine checks of Uddhav Thackeray’s bags – in Yavatmal district Monday and Latur Tuesday afternoon.
While the ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister campaigns for next week’s election – have sparked a row between his Shiv Sena faction and the rival group led by his successor, Eknath Shinde.
In a video shared online by news agency PTI this evening, Mr Thackeray can be heard grilling an election official waiting to search his luggage – a brown duffel – as he exits his helicopter. In a gruff tone the Sena (UBT) boss demands to know the officer’s name (Mahesh Shani) and see his ID card.
Mr Shani and his colleagues – all of whom appear nervous and overwhelmed, repeatedly bowing as Mr Thackeray addresses them – show the Sena leader their ID cards. He also demands to see their appointment letters and orders them to show them all the money in their pockets.
The exchange – which concludes with a perfunctory search of the bag by Mr Shani – also sees Mr Thackeray say sarcastically, “What do you want… I have no problem, don’t be shy (to the poll officers) … everyone’s names will appear on TV. You’ll be famous… no reason to be shy.”
VIDEO | Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s (@OfficeofUT) bag was checked in Ausa in Latur district earlier today. Uddhav Thackeray questioned the officials who checked the bags.
“I don’t have any problem with you… the only thing that concerns me… no, I am not angry with you… we should not do other peoples’ jobs,” Mr Thackeray declares to the poll officers, underlining his party’s claim that the Election Commission does not search bags of leaders from the ruling party or alliance.
These, the Sena (UBT) has alleged, contain cash to buy votes.
The search in Latur today comes after a search in Yavatmal yesterday, after which Mr Thackeray’s aide, Sanjay Raut, demanded to know if the bags of bigwigs from the ruling alliance – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah – were similarly checked when they were campaigning.
“Our luggage, helicopter, private jet, cars… everything is checked. They search our homes also… but we don’t have a problem if it is done impartially. But, where Eknath Shinde and (Deputy Chief Ministers) Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis are contesting, ₹ 25 crores have already reached…”
“… are helicopters and cars of Shinde, Fadnavis, Pawar, Modi and Shah also checked? Are there only clothes in their bags? Are (election) observers not able to see the money distribution going on…”
The Shinde Sena hit back swiftly; party spokesperson Krishna Hegde told NDTV Mr Raut has a “habit of making wild allegations” and pointed out Mr Shinde’s bags had, in fact, been checked. This was in Nashik, when the Chief Minister was campaigning for the April-June general election. “Shindeji did not make a fuss… didn’t create an uproar like the Uddhav Thackeray camp,” Mr Hegde declared.
The search of Mr Thackeray’s bag in Yavatmal was also filmed and shared by the Sena.
The 150-second video shows another official being grilled by Mr Thackeray, who asks him his name and then says, “I won’t stop you… you are following your responsibility. I am following mine.”
Mr Thackeray then declares to the officer – who says the senior leaders haven’t yet campaigned in the region – to make sure he inspects their bags when they do, and send him a video of the search.
The officer then briefly checks a brown duffle and a blue icebox.
Voting for Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly seats will be held on November 20, with results due three days later. Mr Thackeray’s Sena group is allied with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party against the BJP and the Sena and NCP factions led by Mr Shinde and Ajit Pawar.