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This time the polling exercise, 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. About $6.5 billion was spent during the US presidential and congressional races in 2016. Most of the jump in spending will come in use of social media, travel and advertising.

In a blow to the prospects of an opposition grand alliance, BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday said her party will not have an election tie-up with the Congress in any state. Mayawati's statement drew a sharp retort from the Congress, with its Uttar Pradesh unit spokesperson saying, “We don't need her.”

The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "cynically exploiting" the issue of national security to divert attention from his "colossal failures" and "persistent falsehoods" and asserted it won't allow him to befool the people again.

Rejecting allegations by Congress against the Modi government as lies, the BJP on Tuesday claimed that the opposition party is engaged in spreading untruths from the land of Mahatma Gandhi and appeared "nervous" as it has sensed its "defeat" in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

A growing number of airlines grounded a new Boeing plane involved in Ethiopian Airlines disaster as a global team of investigators began picking through the crash site on Tuesday. Oman and South Korean airline Eastar Jet were the latest to halt use of the Boeing 373 Max 8. Australia and Singapore suspended all flights into or out of their countries.

Asserting that the country is safe under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday in his blog accused the Congress of weakening the fight against Jehadi terrorists, and wondered if the party could be trusted by voters in the upcoming general elections.

India bowling coach Bharat Arun on Tuesday defended under-fire Rishabh Pant, saying it is unfair to compare the young wicket-keeper batsman with MS Dhoni. "Unfair to compare them. Dhoni is legend, his work behind the stumps is exemplary. When Virat needs someone to talk to, he is a huge influence on the team," said Arun on Wednesday.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday targeted the Modi government, adding she was saddened by what was happening in the country. Priyanka said the Modi government did not fulfil its promises of providing jobs to crores of people. She was addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary.

While Mayawati, whose Bahujan Samaj Party was reduced to zero seats in 2014, is buoyed this time by her party’s tie up with Samajwadi Party, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into active politics – with a special role in UP — and SP MP Dimple Yadav being given a ticket despite party chief and husband Akhilesh Yadav saying that she would not contest this time to end “pariwarvad” have added strong woman power in the Opposition ranks this time.

Winning big in Karnataka, with its 28 Lok Sabha seats, will be critical for the government-formation aspirations of both the BJP and Congress and the state is under intense focus of strategists of both parties.

Sujay Vikhe Patil, son of Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, formally joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. Sujay had announced that he would contest the Lok Sabha polls this year whether Congress gives him a ticket or not. Earlier, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had requested Pawar to leave the Ahmednagar seat, a family borough, for Sujay.

When Lakshmi Mittal, 68, left India for a vacation through Asia more than four decades ago, he didn’t plan to stay in Indonesia and lay the foundation for a steel empire that spans the globe and generated $5 billion in profits last year. Yet that’s what he did, even as a string of efforts to establish himself in India’s steel market failed -- until now.

Any cricket captain has to be a supreme orchestrator when his team is on the field, juggling multiple options, revamping plans on the go and dealing swiftly with bad cards as they reveal themselves.

At the last meeting, the council — comprising state and Union finance ministers — had agreed to reduce the levy on under-construction residential projects to 5% without input tax credit (ITC) from the current 12%, with credit for taxes paid on inputs such as paints, steel, cement and sanitary ware. For affordable housing projects, the rate will be slashed to 1%.