Nabarangapur (Odisha) [India], April 26 : The Election Commission's flying squad officials checked the helicopter on which 5T Chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian arrived in Nabarangpur.
The search lasted several minutes and was conducted by a team of officials, led by the local magistrate, in the presence of police personnel.
Meanwhile, Pandian was addressing a rally when the search was carried out.
The former bureaucrat is next to BJD chief and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the BJD's star campaigners' list and was campaigning for party leaders.
Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat, along with three other parliamentary constituencies--Koraput, Kalahandi and Berhampur--and 28 assembly segments, will go to polls on May 13.
Earlier, flying squad officials of the Election Commission conducted checks in a helicopter carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris on April 15.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) got the maximum number of seats, followed by the BJP and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8 seats and the Congress bagged just a lone seat.
The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, which comprise 21 constituencies, are set to take place in four phases. The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.