In poll-bound Karnataka, aircrafts of Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi searched

In the poll-bound Karnataka, the special aircrafts of both Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah were searched after they landed at the Hubbali airport. The presidents of the Congress and BJP are in Karnataka on a poll campaign. Elections in Karnataka would be held on May 12 while counting will take place on May 15.

The exercise involving three district-level officers was described by officials as being in line with the Election Commission's directive to ensure free and fair elections in Karnataka.

"It was a random search by a team led by (election) nodal officer Karpale. We searched the planes in which Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah had arrived. It was not intentional," Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad district S B Bommanahalli said.

Shah and Gandhi arrived by separate planes at Hubballi airport from New Delhi.

Soon after their arrival, a team led by election nodal officer Karpale and Hire Gowda and Yogananda searched the planes to check for possible poll code violations.

"We did not find anything in the luggage. There were two other people with Shah. We did not check their names," Gowda told reporters after completing the search operation.

Gandhi, on the fifth leg of Karnataka tour, left for Shivamogga and addressed public meetings there and in Davangere.

Shah, also on the fifth lap of Karnataka tour, addressed an Other Backward Classes convention at Kaginele in Haveri district and had an interaction with the seers of Veerashaiva community at Shivayogi Mandir in Badami taluk of Bagalkot district.