Kollam: Fresh allegations of financial irregularities have hit the BJP state committee, this time concerning the hiring of helicopters during the last Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections.

The controversy centers around the hugely inflated rates paid for helicopter rentals in 2021 and 2024, where the party shelled out ₹3.4 lakh per hour. In stark contrast, the rental rate achieved this time was dropped to ₹2.7 lakh per hour. A formal complaint demanding a thorough investigation into the discrepancy has been submitted to the party's state leadership.

According to sources, a local leader based in Thiruvananthapuram took the initiative in securing the contracts during both prior elections. For the current elections, the initial plan was to charter a single helicopter for the travel of visiting central leaders. Following a formal quotation process, a contract was successfully awarded at the rate of ₹2.7 lakh. However, shortly after, a prominent figure operating out of the state committee office independently signed an additional contract for a second helicopter at the exact same rate.

Although a central representative overseeing the election campaign questioned the need for a second aircraft, the official justified it by claiming that such dual contracts were standard practice across all elections. When it eventually became clear that a second helicopter was redundant, attempts were made to bypass the contract terms by transferring the extra flight hours to the party's Tamil Nadu unit.

Key allegations

  • Flags and campaign merchandise kickbacks: A complaint alleges that a state office-bearer pocketed a ₹31 lakh commission on a ₹1.62 crore order for party flags, shawls, caps and badges. An investigation focusing on the GST numbers revealed that the supplier firm belongs to two district-level leaders from Thiruvananthapuram.
  • Sudden wealth and debt clearances: A young leader heading the social media department purchased a luxury car worth ₹36 lakh immediately after the elections. Furthermore, serious allegations have emerged that several key office-bearers abruptly cleared substantial bank loans using money siphoned from the election fund.
  • The ₹2 crore flag dump: In addition to the merchandise procured by the state unit, flags and promotional materials worth ₹2 crore were dispatched to Thiruvananthapuram under the directive of a company linked to a national leader in charge of Kerala. Although payment was initially withheld, the funds were eventually cleared following the intervention of a top leader. These flags were hoarded across various locations and later allegedly sold off to certain constituencies for a mere ₹2 lakh. The financial transactions for this deal were routed using the GST number of a grocery shop owned by the Vamanapuram mandalam general secretary.
  • Fake bills for PM’s roadshow: Complaints have surfaced regarding the fabrication of fake bills amounting to lakhs of rupees under the contract for purchasing cutouts for the Prime Minister’s roadshow.
  • Ghost hotel bookings: Over 30 hotel rooms were booked for party leaders. While the vast majority of these rooms remained completely unoccupied, bills for the entire booking amount were approved and the cash was allegedly embezzled.
  • Vehicle hire fraud: Campaign vehicles were booked at highly inflated rates. While the actual vehicle owners were paid nominal amounts, the remaining funds were pocketed as commissions. In one bizarre instance, a bill was submitted claiming a vehicle had been driven for 27 hours in a single day.
  • Shell companies: Suspicions have risen that a shell company was registered to secure the tender for flags and merchandise, similar to how a fake company is suspected to have been set up for providing cutouts. At the time of the campaign, complaints had already been raised that the cutouts were not delivered on schedule and were fewer in number than ordered.