Helicopters were in high demand in this election, costing lakhs per hour.

Every Lok Sabha election, there is a craze for using helicopters, which is nothing new. Everyone from major political party leaders to independent candidates use helicopters. As important as using a helicopter is, there is also a fascination with it among people. In this election, especially senior cabinet ministers and MPs have used helicopters more and more. By using helicopters like this, helicopter operators are making huge profits. There are two main reasons for the use of helicopters in elections, one is the remote connectivity and the second main reason is the helicopter craze among people in rural areas even today. A helipad has also been set up near the rally grounds to attract crowds as helicopters are taken to the countryside. In this way the helicopter offers a double advantage. Earning Rs 350 to Rs 400 crore: Considering the demand for helicopters, a conversation was held with Indian Rotary Wing Society Captain Uday Kali, in which he said that during this election period, helicopter operators have earned approximately Rs 350 crore. 400 crores. The demand from operators has increased significantly due to which the rates have increased from 35 percent to 40 percent. He added that the charges for helicopters vary depending on their make and model, which is paid on an hourly basis. On cost sharing, a single engine helicopter like the BEL 407 now costs Rs. 1.3-1.5 lakhs and it can seat 6-7 people. On the other hand, twin-engine helicopters like the Agusta AW109 and H145 Airbus now charge Rs 2.3-3 lakh per hour with a seating capacity of 7-8 people. Augustwestland, a large 15-seater, charges an hourly Rs. Available starting from 4 lakh, it is the first choice of VVIPs due to its stability and comfort. Operators charge 40-50 percent extra The demand for helicopter operators is so high that helicopter operators charge 40-50 percent more than the daily rate. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections too, the fares were hiked by 20-30 percent. This year the demand is very high and comes from parties at the state level as well, while the number of helicopters has not increased. Big parties like BJP and Congress have booked six months in advance. There are approximately 170 helicopters in the country, which are kept in the non-scheduled operations category. 45 helicopters have been used in this election. Generally, independent candidates use single-engine helicopters, while cabinet ministers use charters so that they can return to Delhi by evening. BJP reaped the maximum benefit, this time helicopter operators got 90 hours in advance from political parties in the name of guaranteed time, which BJP made good use of. As a result, while BJP used 15 helicopters for election campaign across the country, Trinamool Congress was able to use only 5 helicopters in election campaign because Mamata Banerjee's side did not use it properly. This time, the country's three largest helicopter companies Pawan Hans, Helico Charter and Global Vectra have done the maximum business. All these organizations will submit their register books to the Election Commission after the election.