Bettiah: LJP(R) President and Union Minister Chirag Paswan was forced to wait for 45 minutes in a grounded helicopter on Thursday after air traffic control denied permission for it to take off due to a technical malfunction.
After the delay, Paswan contacted Bihar BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan to report the situation. Pradhan replied that others were facing similar issues. Unperturbed, the minister then spoke directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, explaining: “I have nine meetings today, but I have been sitting in the helicopter for the last hour, and I don’t have permission to fly.”
Following the prolonged wait, Paswan disembarked and engaged with locals in the Bettiah area, campaigning for NDA candidate Umakant Singh from the Chanpatia seat. He later received clearance for the helicopter after around 82 minutes on the ground.
Earlier, speaking at Patna airport before departing for Bettiah, Paswan expressed confidence in the NDA’s performance in the first phase of Bihar’s assembly elections. “Out of the 121 seats in the first phase, the NDA is winning 100. I am positive on my 14 seats,” he told reporters.
