NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, APRIL 15
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) flying squad conducted a surprise inspection of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.
VIDEO | Visuals of Election Commission officials carrying out searches in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's chopper after he reaches Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/N86WzFbjcp
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 15, 2024
In an incident in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the Commission suspended the flying squad team leader for laxity in duty and selective checking of a cavalcade of a prominent leader belonging to DMK.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was en route from Mysore to Nilgiris for a campaign event when his helicopter came under scrutiny by the ECI’s flying squad. Upon landing in Nilgiris, officials promptly commenced the inspection of the chopper.
Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi intensified his election campaign in Kerala ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by organising a massive roadshow in Sulthan Bathery. Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu bordering Kerala, engaged with students at a local college before embarking on a road journey to Sulthan Bathery.
In Sulthan Bathery, Gandhi traversed atop a car with its roof open, accompanied by hundreds of enthusiastic party workers carrying placards adorned with his photo. Scheduled to address a farmers’ rally in Pulpally later in the day, Rahul Gandhi’s itinerary also includes road shows in Mananthavady, Vellamunda, and Padinjarathara, where he will interact with party workers.
During his visit, Gandhi is expected to meet with the Mananthavady bishop, a meeting of political significance amid the controversy surrounding the screening of the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ by some churches.
In the evening, the Congress leader addressed a rally organized by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kozhikode district. Seeking re-election from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi’s visit marks his second appearance in the constituency since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls.
Gandhi secured a landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, winning from Wayanad with a record margin of 4,31,770 votes. Polling for Kerala’s 20 Lok Sabha seats is scheduled to take place on April 26, adding urgency to campaign efforts across the state.
