PATNA: In Bihar, which has 40 parliamentary constituencies, more than 30 choppers — apart from six to eight-seater private helicopters — are likely to be hired by different political parties for Lok Sabha electioneering after March 18.
In 2014, 24 choppers were hired by all parties from April 6 to May 12, including seven by the BJP.
“More than 900 sorties were recorded by choppers alone (in 2014), using different base locations in the state,” an airport official said on the condition of anonymity.
For the 2019 campaign, the BJP plans to hire 15 to 17 choppers, the JDU four to six, the LJP two, the Congress five to six and the RJD two to three.
A leader of a national party said between Rs 260,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per hour is being demanded by private operators for fuel and rentals, besides airport parking charges of Rs 15,000 per night.
Sources said around 17 choppers will be hired by the NDA’s star campaigners.
Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai said the party’s headquarters will decide and hire the choppers depending upon the need and flow of star campaigners.
“As of now, no confirmation on the exact number of choppers hired is available with us,” he said.
Patna Airport Director Rajendra Kumar Lahuria recently said that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had directed that designated parking bays for six permanent commercial services at JPNIA would not be disturbed.