All parties to fly high during campaign

Hyderabad: Leaders of all the three major political parties, BRS, Congress and BJP are geared for a whirlwind tour of districts. This time most of them are planning to use choppers just as a common man uses a cab.

Till last elections, normally the political parties used to hire choppers for chief ministers, ministers, or party national or state presidents only. But this time even Ministers and MLAs are hiring them to address public meetings and road shows in districts. The BRS has hired five choppers and is consulting the helicopter rental firms in Mumbai and Bengaluru for more. The BJP made arrangements to use four choppers and the Congress will also make available at least three for whirlwind visits by the senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

Leaders said that BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was using an exclusive double engine chopper for him to attend the series of public meetings organized in nearly 100 assembly constituencies till the election on November 30.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao and Finance Minister T Harish Rao and other ministers were using two more choppers. It would be hiring nearly eight choppers in all so that they can address multiple public meetings in a day. During the recent visit of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress used two helicopters before launching a bus yatra in the districts recently. Two more choppers are being hired to be used during the last leg of the poll campaign.

Karnataka Congress is said to be extending help to the Telangana Congress in making arrangements for choppers for poll campaigning.

BJP at present has kept two choppers at the disposal of national leaders for constituencies’ campaigning and to attend the meetings. Another two will be added to the fleet of choppers soon. Sources said that each party would spend a whopping Rs 10 crore plus on hiring choppers. According to Election Commission rules, the parties using choppers must intimate the ECI and seek necessary permissions from all the authorities concerned.