India’s election is amongst the most expensive in the world

The world’s biggest democracy will soon hold what’s likely to be one of the world’s costliest elections.India’s six-week-long vote will span the Himalayan range in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, the Thar desert in the west and the mangroves of the Sundarbans in the east.   

This time the polling is due to start on April 11 and be completed by May 19, will cost an unprecedented 500 billion rupees ($7 billion), according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies. 

Around $6.5 billion was spent during the US presidential and congressional races in 2016, according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks money in American politics.   
With more than 8,000 contestants fighting for around 545 seats, there’s tough competition to win over voters. Gifts can help indicate to voters that the contestant wields influence and resources, according to Chauchard.   

More than 90 percent of federal-level politicians said their peers feel pressured to hand out gifts like cash, alcohol or other personal goods,according to a survey by Jennifer Bussell, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley.   
(Hindustan Times)