SHILLONG, Feb 22: Choppers are becoming a thing in poll-bound Meghalaya, especially in the state capital, with the big political guns are traversing land and breadth of the state at breakneck speed for election campaigns.
With Assembly elections less than a week away, many top politicians of the state, including Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Opposition leader Mukul Sangma, as well as the star campaigners are making use of the helicopters to cover as much distance as possible in a single day due to time constraint.
Apart from the state politicians, many from the central leadership of various parties have been traversing the state on choppers.
Meanwhile, sources in the Aviation Sector have informed that air travel has become the preferred mode of transportation for the political parties as well as individual politicians since it is the fastest mode of transportation — much needed by the politicians who campaign in several locations in a day.
Mostly, choppers are used by the politicians to travel between Shillong and Garo Hills region, which makes up for 24 out of 60 seats in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, the Shillong Airport has also been bustling with activities as movement of VIPs and VVIPs, as several politicians from outside Meghalaya, are coming to Shillong to campaign for their respective political parties.
It is also learnt that the Shillong Airport provides choppers aplenty, keeping in view the weather condition.
On Tuesday evening, Union Home Minister Amit Shah could not land in Shillong due to the inclement weather and addressed the gathering at Cantonment ground via his mobile set.
