Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 | After flying high for a month, helicopters and netas grounded

'As per a rough estimate, NDA spent Rs 30 crore on helicopter rides and chartered planes, while the Opposition Mahagathbandhan Rs 10 crore'

Patna: The helicopters that ferried politicians of all shades for the last one month in Bihar have now fallen silent as the roar of their rotor blades has ceased. With the whirlwind campaigning for the second and last phase of election coming to an end on Sunday, the helicopters and chartered planes, along with the netas, are now grounded.

According to sources, these helicopters flew for 1,600 hours in both the phases of the poll campaign. Leader of the cash-rich National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reportedly took helicopter rides for 1,200 hours while the Mahagathbandhan leaders for 400 hours.

“Roughly it comes to an average of Rs 3 lakh per hour per helicopter to hire. This includes GST charges also. Around Rs 11 lakh was spent on each helicopter each day. As per a rough calculation, the NDA spent Rs 30 crore on helicopter rides and chartered planes, while the Opposition Mahagathbandhan Rs 10 crore,” said an aviation source on Monday. “Single-engine helicopters carrying four passengers cost around Rs 1.5 lakh per hour,” said the source adding that out of 25 choppers, 15 were for the BJP, two each for the Congress, RJD and JD(U), while the remaining helicopters were for smaller players like the LJP(RV) and HAM, and leaders like Tej Pratap.

Sources said the leaders flew down to Patna from New Delhi and other States by chartered flights and then boarded the helicopter stationed at Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport here in the State capital.

“Compared with the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, where around Rs 26 crore was spent on helicopter rides, this election the expenses were 1.5 times more, at an astronomical figure of Rs 40 crore,” said the source adding that around Rs 1.8 crore was spent each day on chopper rides.