Overcast skies ground choppers

Consequently, the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and All India Congress Committee general secretary Mohsina Kidwai, who addressed three election rallies at Hazaribagh, Gumla and Daltonganj on Friday, returned to New Delhi by the Indian Army8217;s aircraft. Both the leaders were scheduled to participate in election rallies in Dhanbad, Giridih, Deogarh, Dumka and Godda yesterday.

Even the Bharatiya Janata Party leader and leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi was grounded. He was to use the chopper along with his party MP Dukha Bhagat and national council member ShailendraMahto to kick off party8217;s poll campaign in Majhgaon, Chaibasa, Chakulia, Ghatshila and Chandil the same day. Modi flew back to Patna from Ranchi by the Indian Airlines8217; flight last afternoon.

As the weather continued to be hostile this morning with fog and rain, neither of these four choppers could take off. Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani could not reach Dumka to launch his party8217;s election campaign as per his schedule. However, as the visibility improved later in the day, Advani took the chopper to visit Hazaribagh to address an election rally in the afternoon. The Union Home Minister left for Gaya in the evening to address the Bharatiya Janata Party8217;s first joint election rally with the Samata Party leader and Union Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar.