Patna, April 11 (IANS) No matter what the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad has already entered the record books with a century and counting - of helicopter rides for campaigning. As of Thursday, he had undertaken at least 103 flights and could well make it a double century by the time the campaign ends a month from now, an aide said.
Lalu Prasad, in fact, is far ahead of the pack in a unique one-two-three that is emerging. The BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi, a former deputy chief minister, has so far has undertaken 63 flights for campaigning, while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has undertaken 56 flights.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Chandeshwar Prasad Singh told IANS here Thursday that Lalu Prasad had so far used a chopper 103 times for campaigning. "It's indicative of his hard-working style, upbeat mood and unbeatable energy to reach out to the people in far away places," he added.
Another RJD leader, Shakti Yadav, said Lalu Prasd will complete his second century by the May 10 end of campaigning. "If Laluji has undertaken more than 100 chopper flights till today (Thursday, when voting was underway in 6 of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats), polls for 34 seats will take place in next one month and Laluji will undertake more chopper flights for campaigning," he said.
Not surprisingly, Lalu Prasad was the first off the block after the April-May Lok Sabha elections were announced.
"There is less time and I have to reach out to the masses faster. The chopper is very helpful and my only hope," Lalu Prasad had told reporters last month.
According to RJD leaders, Lalu Prasad is using a new chopper of New Delhi-based Himalyan Heli Services Private Limited. It's a single-engined machine with a seating capacity of six.
Other than Lalu Prasad, his younger son Tejasvi Yadav, who is also a star campaigner for the RJD, has undertaken five chopper flights for campaigning.
As for the other airborne campaigners, they are pretty far behind.
BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav, the leader of opposition in the state assembly, has undertaken 52 chopper flights, while state BJP president Mangal Pandey and senior party party leader and former union minister C P Thakur have undertaken 32 and 29 chopper flights so far.
The BJP has hired three choppers for the election campaign and the ruling JD-U two.
Interestingly, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has used chartered planes on eight occasions for campaigning in Bihar followed by BJP president Rajnath Singh, who has thrice used chartered planes.
LJP chief Paswan has undertaken eight chopper flights for campaigning, mostly in Jamui constituency, from where his son Chirag Paswan is contesting. The LJP has hired only one chopper.
At the bottom of the pack are Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, who have one each used chartered planes for campaigning in the state.
Indians prefer Dubai, Bangkok outings for V-Day: Survey
New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Dubai and Bangkok have emerged as the top searched outbound destinations for Indians around Valentine's Day, a new survey has revealed.Hotels.com, an online accommodation
Make Rainwater Harvesting attractive: HC to DJB
New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to make rainwater harvesting "attractive" by giving wide publicity to its benefits including rebate in
Cyclone Michaung Updates: Cyclone Michaung will hit Andhra Pradesh today, the storm took the lives of 8 people in Chennai; More than 200 trains canceled
Cyclone Mihaung Updates. Cyclone ‘Michong’ may hit South Andhra Pradesh and North Tamil Nadu coasts today (05-12-23). During this period, winds can blow at a speed of 90 to 110 km per
Be on time or be marked absent, Rajasthan employees told
Jaipur, March 24 (IANS) The Rajasthan government has asked all its employees to report on duty on time or be marked absent."As per the new order, the class IV employees, or peons, have been asked to
Weather Update: Severe heat in North India and heavy rain in South India, know how the weather will be in your state today
Some states of North India are troubled by scorching heat and heatwave, while many states there has been destroyed due to heavy rains. In states like Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana, the temperature has
RR vs PBKS Playing 11: There will be entry of dreaded bowler in Punjab team, playing 11 of both the teams may be like this
The princely states of Rajasthan, who defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first match of IPL 2023, will next clash with Punjab Kings in the tournament. This vigorous match between the two teams will
Mid Size SUV: Kia Seltos is better or it is wise to buy Mahindra, MG, or Tata's mid-size SUV, know the details
Kia has introduced the facelifted version of the Seltos in the Indian market. Many new features have been given to it by the company. After which it would be better to buy it or other SUVs in the
Japan again aggressive on China after 90 years: will buy deadly missiles that will destroy China for Rs 3 lakh crore
It is a matter of 1931. An explosion occurs on a railway line in Japan. Japan tells the hand of China in this. In response, Japan attacks Manchuria in China. Chinese soldiers could not compete with
Jammu Encounter: Encounter between security forces and terrorists in Kulgam, Army jawan injured in shelling
An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Kulgam, Jammu, and Kashmir. During this, the presence of two to three terrorists came to the fore. An army jawan was injured in the
Corona cases in the country cross 4300, with 276 cases found in 24 hours; See the condition of your state
Coronavirus cases are continuously increasing in India. Every day a new jump is being seen in the active cases of Corona. The number of active cases of Corona had reached 4000 on the previous day,