Political parties are hiring additional choppers as the demand for star campaigners to boost the prospects of the candidates in Assembly elections has increased even as the election campaign enters the last fortnight in Telangana.
Leaders are on heli-hopping spree, crisscrossing the State since the election notification was announced. While the BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao began his election campaign addressing three to four election rallies a day, the other parties too have fallen in line and hired choppers. The BRS has requisitioned the services of two choppers, of which one is exclusively kept at the disposal of the Chief Minister and the other kept as spare. The second helicopter is used by BRS working president and IT Minister K. T. Rama Rao and Finance Minister T. Harish Rao. KCR, in the first phase of his election campaign, covered more than 50 Assembly constituencies in a span of 18 days. He is now on the second leg of the campaign and crisscrossing the State addressing at least three public meetings.
The BJP has lined up three choppers and of these, one each has been given to BJP national general secretary and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay and the other one is with Election Management Committee chairman Etala Rajender. The third one is used by the central leadership. BJP candidates are keen on the presence of Mr. Bandi Sanjay and Mr. Etala Rajender at their election rallies which has prompted the central leadership to draft two choppers for them.
The Congress at present has hired one chopper which is extensively used by the TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy. “Two more choppers will be kept ready for the star campaigners. These two choppers will be used by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge,” Congress sources said. Mr. Revanth Reddy is the most sought after Congress leader in the election campaign and hence, touring the constituencies on a warfooting.
Official sources said request has been received for parking additional choppers at the Airport Authorities of India (AAI) run Begumpet Airport. “Twin Engine and Single Engine helicopters are being used for the election campaign by the star campaigners,” sources said.
As per the norms, only Twin Engine helicopters are pressed into service for Central Ministers, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and top star campaigners. “None of these choppers will fly after sunset. They have to reach their destination before the sunset,” the source said. It is learnt that the lone company that hires helicopters in Telangana and based in Hyderabad has given it to the ruling party. “All other choppers are hired from north Indian companies based out of Delhi and other places,” sources said. “The chopper used by KCR is Airbus while the others on hire are Bell 429 twin engine and Bell 407 single engine choppers,” an official pointed out.
Companies hiring helicopters and small aircraft have jacked up their prices keeping in view the heavy demand. Usually, a chopper with single engine costs about ₹ 1.50 lakh to ₹ 1.75 lakh an hour whereas for the Twin Engine ones it is around ₹ 2.75 lakh to ₹ 3 lakh an hour.
