Helicopter armada touches down after 450-sortie blitz

PATNA: Rotor blades beat over Bihar for weeks. Sky turned battleground. By Sunday evening, the helicopter armada fell silent as campaigning for the second phase of assembly elections shut down after an aerial blitz of 450+ sorties - unmatched in scale or cost. Up to 25 helicopters and 12 chartered planes flew daily from Patna airport to 122 constituencies voting across 20 districts on Nov 11, reflecting soaring expenses of modern political warfare. Airport sources said traffic climbed steadily. Phase 1 - held across 121 seats on November 6 - logged over 210 sorties, with 15 to 18 helicopters airborne daily from Oct 25 to November 5. Phase 2 pushed that pace higher from November 1 to 9 - about 23 helicopters a day in the final three days, totalling around 240 sorties. Chartered jets cost Rs 4-9 lakh an hour depending on fittings such as sofas, beds, washrooms and catering. Single-engine helicopters for four passengers cost around Rs 1.5 lakh an hour. Twin-engine models ranged from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. "For election campaigning, prominent politicians first arrive at Patna airport by chartered plane. From there, they board helicopters to attend rallies in other districts of Bihar.

Four to five chartered planes carrying politicians arrive at the airport daily," an airport source said, estimating total air travel expenses in crores of rupees. For Round 2, over 3.7 crore electors are eligible to vote for 1,302 candidates - 1,165 men, 136 women and one third-gender candidate. The rolls include 6,255 electors above 100 years. Polling will take place at 45,399 centres. Key contests include Chakai, where JDU minister Sumit Kumar Singh seeks re-election; BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh's Jamui; JDU minister Leshi Singh's Dhamdaha; and BJP minister Neeraj Kumar Singh's Chhatapur. Sunday's campaign finale saw 26 flying machines deployed by top contenders. RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, fighting from Raghopur and anchoring the Mahagathbandhan campaign, delivered 16 back-to-back rallies across Arwal, Rohtas and Jehanabad. VIP chief Mukesh Sahani toured Bhagalpur and Katihar. Union minister Amit Shah addressed rallies in Arwal & Sasaram. Defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke in Aurangabad and Sasaram.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath campaigned in Supaul. Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi covered Nawada, Gaya, Aurangabad and Sheohar. CM Nitish Kumar addressed rallies in Aurangabad and Rohtas. JDU spokesperson Basudev Kushwaha said Nitish addressed 84 rallies in both phases - 73 by helicopter, 11 by road. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi canvassed in Kishanganj and Purnia. LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan rallied in Katihar and Bhagalpur.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary spoke in Banka, Jamui and Bhagalpur, while his counterpart Vijay Kumar Sinha wrapped up in Sitamarhi.

Tejashwi's elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav addressed supporters in Kesariya of East Champaran. Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM(S) attended 72 rallies and roadshows by helicopter, largely in Magadh. Jan Suraaj's Prashant Kishor ran a contrasting campaign, avoiding the sky and relying on door-to-door mobilisation.