Chopper effect

Supporters of Ravindra Choubey, senior Congress politician and leader of the Opposition in the previous Chhattisgarh Assembly, attribute the party's defeat in the latest state elections to his reluctance to use a helicopter to campaign in various constituencies as he was required to do. They are particularly incensed because leaders of the Satnam Sena, the party representing scheduled castes formed with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, thought nothing of using choppers for electioneering. One Satnam Sena leader even landed in Choubey's constituency and held a number of election meetings. The Satnam Sena, in fact, split the vote in several constituencies to the Congress' detriment. Now, it seems Choubey does not want to repeat the mistake during the upcoming general elections. He is reportedly enquiring about chopper rates and has solicited quotes from aviation companies.