New Delhi : As the first phase of the 18th Lok Sabha Elections came to an end with nearly 64% of voter turnout, the Indian Air Force (IAF) played a crucial role along with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make the electioneering process successful.
According to the ECI, it leveraged the resources of the Indian Air Force to facilitate the heli-dropping of polling personnel along with election materials.
"A formidable fleet comprising 18 MI-17s, 13 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and 8 specialised Cheetal helicopters for high-altitude regions were deployed across multiple states, marking a historic endeavour to overcome geographical barriers", the poll panel said.
"A total of 439 sorties/trips were undertaken by IAF ! Additionally, 2 MI-17 with Arunachal Pradesh state govt were deployed for ferrying personnel in the state", it added.
In terms of the state wise data, for the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir, as many as 70 sorties were executed to transport 189 polling officials and 69 police personnel from district headquarters to the snow-bound enclaves of Marwah and Warwan in Kishtwar District.
For Arunachal Pradesh, 30 polling personnel, including security personnel and sector officers, were airlifted to four polling stations in the remote 20-Tali Assembly Constituency, bridging the gap of 55-75 kilometres from the nearest road head point.
For Maharashtra, a staggering 180 sorties facilitated the mobilisation of 850 polling officials to 206 polling stations in the challenging Gadchiroli-Chimur Parliamentary Constituency.
In Chhattisgarh, 177 sorties were conducted to deploy 1000 personnel across 156 polling stations in the LWE affected Bastar region.
For Manipur which has been reeling under the scars of ethnic rivalry since March 2013, as many as Eight sorties of an MI-17 helicopter were instrumental in ferrying polling parties to four polling stations in the Henglep Assembly Constituency of Churachandpur district, Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.
For Bihar, Four sorties of an MI-17 helicopter facilitated the airlift of 55 polling personnel from the remote Gaya Aurangabad belt.
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