Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose bag check dominated the political discussions on the poll-bound state today, played it down in an interview with NDTV, saying it was a routine matter for him at election time and not worthy of social media posts.
But in the backdrop of his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray's luggage check and his allegation that such an exercise is "selective", the ruling alliance went out of its way to prove that its leaders get equal treatment from election officials.
"My bags were checked during the Lok Sabha election and even now and wherever I go, my people remain behind," Mr Shinde told NDTV in an exclusive interview.