The helicopter that crashed in Pune on Wednesday killing three crew members was hired by the Nationalist Congress Party for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. As per reports, it was intended to carry its state unit president and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, who was scheduled to travel to his native village of Sutarwadi in Raigad.
Tatkare confirmed that the helicopter had been booked by the party for the duration of the elections. "The helicopter was booked by the party for the travelling purposes until the completion of the elections. We had gone to Parli a day before to participate in the Jan Sanman Yatra of the party," he said in a statement to the media.
Both Tatkare and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had travelled from Beed to Mumbai on Tuesday night to meet Union Minister Amit Shah, who was in Mumbai for seat-sharing discussions related to the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
"Helicopter was stationed in Pune to take me to Sutarwadi," Tatkare
As per Tatkare, the helicopter was stationed in Pune for a night halt, and was expected to fly to Mumbai to pick him up on Wednesday morning. "We came to Mumbai and the helicopter was in Pune. It was to come here (Mumbai) and take me to Sutarwadi," he added.
Tatkare was set to attend multiple events in Sutarwadi and planned to return to Mumbai afterward. Due to the tragic incident, he traveled by road instead.
The helicopter, operated by Heritage Aviation, crashed in the Bavdhan area of Pune while en route to Mumbai. As per reports the aircraft was on its way from Oxford Golf Course resort to Juhu when the accident occurred.
