Even as campaigning is at its peak with two-thirds of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly yet to go to the polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be reducing the intensity of its push – at least, if the number of helicopters it hired for the operation is any indication.
Out of 16 private helicopters that the BJP had hired for the campaign, it returned five after the second phase of polling on October 16, an official at Patna airport said. “Four helicopters have already been returned while the fifth one will be laid off today [Friday],” the official said.
Confirming the development, a senior leader of the BJP’s Bihar unit said the decision to reduce the number of choppers was taken after the second phase of polling. He did not give a reason for the decision.
Helicopters are frequently used to ferry senior leaders to far-flung venues in states with bad road networks.
Strong polarisation
While 49 Bihar assembly constituencies went to polls in the first phase on October 12, a total of 32 seats were decided in the second phase. There was a big gap in the poll schedule after this because of Durga Puja and Muharram. Votes will be cast in the remaining 162 constituencies on October 28, November 1 and November 5. The results will be declared on November 8.
Observers say that there has been a strong polarisation of voters in the state, with members of the backward castes, Dalits and minorities appearing to favour the BJP’s opponents.
In a move that some observers view as nervousness on the part of the BJP, the party altered its newspaper advertisements after the first phase to feature an array of state leaders but omitting Narendra Modi. This, observers say, is an attempt to project the Bihar elections as a localised electoral battle, not a referendum on the prime minister’s performance. After the second phase of polling, Modi and party president Amit Shah began to disappear even from billboards.
The decision to reduce the number of campaign helicopters is in contrast to the pattern witnessed during last year’s Lok Sabha elections. “I don’t know about other states, but in Bihar the choppers hired by the BJP kept increasing in number and heli-campaigns became more intense as the election progressed,” the Patna airport official said.
Heavy costs
The average cost of hiring a twin-engine helicopter is approximately Rs 1.8 lakh a flying hour plus 14% service tax. Single-engine choppers cost approximately Rs 1 lakh a flying hour plus service tax. A star campaigner usually flies three to four hours a day to address rallies.
By the time the first phase of polling was held, political parties in the fray had hired nearly two dozen private helicopters, trying to reach out nearly 55 million voters. The BJP had hired 16 helicopters, which were used by Modi, Shah and nearly a dozen union ministers from Bihar, considered star campaigners for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The BJP’s opponents – Janata Dal-United of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal of Lalu Prasad and the Congress party – had hired two choppers each. These parties are retaining the choppers for now, said the official at Patna airport.
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Out of 16 private helicopters that the BJP had hired for the campaign, it returned five after the second phase of polling on October 16, an official at Patna airport said. “Four helicopters have already been returned while the fifth one will be laid off today [Friday],” the official said.
Confirming the development, a senior leader of the BJP’s Bihar unit said the decision to reduce the number of choppers was taken after the second phase of polling. He did not give a reason for the decision.
Helicopters are frequently used to ferry senior leaders to far-flung venues in states with bad road networks.
Strong polarisation
While 49 Bihar assembly constituencies went to polls in the first phase on October 12, a total of 32 seats were decided in the second phase. There was a big gap in the poll schedule after this because of Durga Puja and Muharram. Votes will be cast in the remaining 162 constituencies on October 28, November 1 and November 5. The results will be declared on November 8.
Observers say that there has been a strong polarisation of voters in the state, with members of the backward castes, Dalits and minorities appearing to favour the BJP’s opponents.
In a move that some observers view as nervousness on the part of the BJP, the party altered its newspaper advertisements after the first phase to feature an array of state leaders but omitting Narendra Modi. This, observers say, is an attempt to project the Bihar elections as a localised electoral battle, not a referendum on the prime minister’s performance. After the second phase of polling, Modi and party president Amit Shah began to disappear even from billboards.
The decision to reduce the number of campaign helicopters is in contrast to the pattern witnessed during last year’s Lok Sabha elections. “I don’t know about other states, but in Bihar the choppers hired by the BJP kept increasing in number and heli-campaigns became more intense as the election progressed,” the Patna airport official said.
Heavy costs
The average cost of hiring a twin-engine helicopter is approximately Rs 1.8 lakh a flying hour plus 14% service tax. Single-engine choppers cost approximately Rs 1 lakh a flying hour plus service tax. A star campaigner usually flies three to four hours a day to address rallies.
By the time the first phase of polling was held, political parties in the fray had hired nearly two dozen private helicopters, trying to reach out nearly 55 million voters. The BJP had hired 16 helicopters, which were used by Modi, Shah and nearly a dozen union ministers from Bihar, considered star campaigners for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The BJP’s opponents – Janata Dal-United of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal of Lalu Prasad and the Congress party – had hired two choppers each. These parties are retaining the choppers for now, said the official at Patna airport.
