IAF deployed 35 choppers for Lok Sabha polls

The IAF personnel also deployed election material and officials to far flung areas in Maoist-affected zones in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

Before the commencement of the poll process, the Defence Ministry and the Election Commission had held meetings to chalk out the requirements for helicopters and aircraft for conducting polls, IAF officials said.

The IAF has a fleet of over 150 Mi-17 choppers, which fall in the medium-lift category, and they are used for ferrying troops and material to high altitude locations and for troop insertion and casualty evacuation in Maoist-infested areas.