Kolkata, April 19 (Inditop) Congress heavyweight Pranab Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who kickstarted their joint Lok Sabha poll campaign Sunday, were stranded at the northern West Bengal town of Balurghat after their helicopter ran out of fuel.
Mukherjee and Banerjee, who held their first joint meeting at Balurghat, were stranded for over one-and-half hours as the authorities rushed in fuel from nearby Malda.
“After landing in Balurghat, the pilot told the duo that the copter needed refuelling, and he will fly it again after that. So, after the meeting, the two leaders had to wait in the town,” an aide of Mukherjee told IANS.
Another source claimed that the fuel stock in the helicopter got depleted as it had to hover in the sky for over 45 minutes before landing in Balaurghat as the Air Traffic Control delayed giving landing permission. But the aide did not confirm this.
rounak