Assembly Elections 2012: Under EC watch, Badal flies economy

Chandigarh: If Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal- hose helicopter and aircraft bill touched almost Rs 6 crore between December 2010 and mid-2011-travels economy class rubbing shoulders with commoners on a low-budget flight to Delhi on Wednesday, blame it on poll season.

With EC’s code of conduct in place till counting day on March 6, Badal will fly 'economy' as the expense of a chartered flight would have added to the burgeoning poll expense of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

His flight to Delhi on a chartered aircraft would have cost the party about Rs 3.5-7 lakh, a chopper ride nearly Rs 7-8 lakh per hour, say state aviation department sources. The low-budget flight came for Rs 3,784 per seat for the CM’s entourage of three persons.

Sources in SAD said this could be why the CM’s office booked a low budget carrier for his Delhi visit after they failed to secure business class seats in Air India. Badal is due to attend a meeting related to Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee polls. An airline official said a request had been made for a seat with maximum leg space for the CM and a couple of rows of empty seats for the privilege of having him on board.