India set to challenge US for election-spending record

[alp227]

Source: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Indian politicians are expected to spend around $5 billion on campaigning for elections next month —a sum second only to the most expensive US presidential campaign of all time —in a splurge that could give India's floundering economy a temporary boost.

India's campaign spend, which can include cash stuffed in envelopes as well as multi-million-dollar ad campaigns, has been estimated at 300 billion rupees by the Centre for Media Studies, which tracks spending.

That is triple the expenditure the centre said was spent on electioneering in the last national poll in 2009 —partly a reflection of a high-octane campaign by pro-business opposition candidate for prime minister, Narendra Modi, who started nationwide rallies and advertising last year.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-set-to-challenge-US-for-election-spending-record/articleshow/31741588.cms

[Renew Deal]

1. It probably adds up to less per vote

But it might be close

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. About 415 million votes cast in the 2009 elections

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_general_election,_2009

With population growth, probably over 420 million this time. Compared with $7 billion on under 130 US million votes in 2012, it makes spending per US vote still over 4 times as much.

[Ash_F]

3. Ugh. /nt

[Nanjing to Seoul]

4. At least they are spending it on the productive activty of gaining or keeping power

and not on the meaningless activity of pulling millions out of abject poverty.

Won't someone think of the poor, completely powerless and oppressed millionaires?