Hyderabad: If the road is the limit for Mahakutami candidates for election campaigning, the sky is the limit for the Telangana Rastra Samithi. To fly the star campaigner, the TRS has been granted permission for helicopter tours to 29 locations across various districts facing election heat.
Party chief K. Chandrashekar Rao will travel in the helicopter (Aircraft-AW 169) , having a seating capacity for two crew members and eight passengers, operated by Global Vectra from November 21 to 25 November for the election campaign. The party will bear the expenditure incurred.
Professor M. Sreenivas Reddy, MLC and TRS general secretary said the party president wanted to use the helicopter to tour assembly constituencies of TS, to propagate the party programmes and policies to the people. “Currently no specific budget has been allocated, but money is released based on number of trips made in a day, and the helicopter is a used one. We have asked the chief election officer to give necessary instructions to the returning officers to make preparation for helipads, landing and takeoff,” he said.
He further added, “Other star campaigners of the TRS like MP K. Kavitha , K. T Rama Rao or T. Harisha Rao and others will not travel in the same helicopter , and instead can opt for another aircraft and the party will bear the expenditure.”
The last election that saw helicopter tours was during the Karnataka general elections, when the BJP approached the EC 90 times for permission, while the Congress 29. However, the maximum demand for helicopters was seen in Uttar Pradesh, where at least 15 helicopters crisscrossed the skies bearing leaders.
With the end of the nominations , massive road rallies have been scheduled in the coming week. BJP President Amit Shah will hold a 3-day campaign on November 25, 27 and 28. Congress president Rahul
Gandhi who is likely to be joined by AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, is scheduled to campaign on November 28 and 29 while Chandrasekhar Rao will address 28 public meetings across 66 constituencies.
