<i>Lok Sabha polls to cost more than US presidential polls </i>

At a staggering Rs 10,000 crore, the Lok Sabha polls this summer would cost more than what Barack Obama and others spent in the US presidential race.
According to information available with the US Federal Election Commission, Obama and other candidates collectively spent close to $1.8 billion (nearly Rs 8,000 crore) in the 2007-08 Presidential Elections.
A survey conducted by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) back home pegs the estimated amount to be spent on the Lok Sabha elections, which would determine the next government in the country, at about Rs 10,000 crore (USD two billion).