Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan on Saturday said the security cover of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was upgraded after intelligence inputs.
In view of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls, the state police has buttressed the security cover of Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister, with ex-Force One personnel as a precautionary measure, PTI reported.
Fadnavis enjoys 'Z plus' security cover at present, which is taken care of by the Maharashtra police's Special Protection Unit, he added.
“Fadnavis’ security had been upgraded after inputs from Intelligence,” Mahajan, a senior state BJP leader, told reporters in Pune, PTI reported.
"As a precautionary measure and taking into consideration any possible threat, we have changed the personnel guarding Deputy CM Fadnavis. Personnel who had earlier served in Force One (an elite commando unit of the state police) and are now attached to SPU have been placed in his security detail," the official said.
There is no specific threat to the senior BJP leader and the boost in the security detail is just a precautionary measure based on a review, he clarified.
The Election Commission announced the poll dates for Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on November 20. The counting of votes will be done on November 23.
Lok Sabha Elections
In the Lok Sabha election held this year, MVA won 30 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats. The ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent candidate.
Maharashtra is currently governed by the Mahayuti coalition, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This ruling alliance includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena under Shinde's leadership, and the NCP headed by Ajit Pawar. The state legislature consists of 288 seats.
(Inputs from PTI)