TIL Desk/National/Washington/ The upcoming general elections in India will be the most expensive in Indian history and perhaps one of the most expensive ever held in any democratic country, a U.S.-based expert has said. The Election Commission of India is soon expected to announce its schedule for the polls to be held to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha.
“The combined U.S. presidential and congressional elections in 2016 cost USD 6.5 billion. If the 2014 Lok Sabha elections cost an estimated USD 5 billion, there is little doubt the 2019 election will easily surpass that — making India’s elections the world’s most expensive,” Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank told.
“The uncertainty associated with the coming election — polls suggest a narrowing gap between the BJP and the opposition — only provides more fodder for an arms race in spending,” he said. Mr. Vaishnav has emerged as an authoritative voice on Indian elections, in particular the funding aspects of it, over the years. Mr. Vaishnav has emerged as an authoritative voice on Indian elections, in particular the funding aspects of it, over the years.
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