The Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting an inquiry into SpiceJet’s offer of free tickets for those travelling to Delhi to cast their vote in the Assembly polls on Saturday, and has written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking more details, a government source said.
“The ECI wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday on the issue,” an official of the Ministry said, said on the condition of anonymity.
The ECI is yet to comment on the matter and the outcome of its inquiry.
Earlier this week, SpiceJet launched an offer promising “free tickets” ahead of the Delhi polls. Passengers were asked to post their inspiration to vote on social media on the basis of which they would be shortlisted by an internal judges’ panel.
Of course, the tickets will be far from free. The airline will only reimburse the base fare and passengers will have to pay “applicable taxes, surcharges, levies and any other additional costs,” according to the airline.
If shortlisted, passengers could book their journey to Delhi for either February 7 or 8 and return travel for February 8 or 9. They should post an image of their inked finger along with the hashtag #SpiceJetDemocracy. They should also share their travel experience. Only if they completed all the steps detailed, they could claim the benefit, it said.
