Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, prime ministerial candidate for India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Gujarat's chief minister, waves after hoisting an Indian national flag during the Republic Day celebrations at Himmatnagar town, about 69 km (43 miles) east from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, January 26, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian politicians are expected to spend around $5 billion (2 billion pounds) on campaigning for elections next month - a sum second only to the most expensive U.S. 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 (2.9 billion pounds) by the Centre for Media Studies, which tracks spending.
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