Hyderabad: In what could be the costliest vote, Anantapur MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy flew to Delhi in a chartered aircraft to cast his ballot in the Presidential election on Monday. Mr Diwakar Reddy has been placed on the ‘no-fly’ list of airlines following his misbehaviour at the Vizag airport last month. The eight-seater aircraft was chartered by his son, Mr Pawan Kumar Reddy.

“I don’t know from where my son organised the aircraft. I needed to cast my vote and attend the Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha and I took the chartered flight,” Mr Diwakar Reddy told this newspaper. He reiterated that there was no question of tendering an apology for the Visakhapatnam airport inc-ident without a formal inquiry being held. “Which law allows a flying ban on me by eight airlines without even hearing my version? Where was the inquiry, where was the witnesses,” he asked. The MP has challenged the no-fly order in the High Court.

When contacted, Mr Pawan Kumar Reddy, who travelled to Delhi with his father, said, “When my dad wanted to attend the session, this small gesture of organising an aircraft is nothing. I have several friends who have private jets, I requested one of my friends whose company has a eight-seater jet and we used it,” he said. He refused to identify the company or his friend.