Feature
Mulayam-Akhilesh takes fight over ‘cycle’ to EC
Lucknow: After days of wrangling and sordid tug of war to gain control over the party and its headquarters, the two factions of Samajwadi Party are set to approach the Election Commission of India on Monday to stake claim on the party symbol ‘cycle’. According to sources, both factions of the party — one headed by patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and other by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav — were likely to tell the ECI that they were the actual SP and furnish evidences supporting their claims.
While the Akhilesh faction was sending party national General-Secretary-turned-mentor Ram Gopal Yadav as its emissary to the poll panel, the other faction was likely see Mulayam Singh himself lead. The party founder would be accompanied by loyal younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, who returned mid-way from his new year family vacation in London. Having upstaged his father and the party supremo to appoint himself as the Working National President of the party at an “emergency national convention”, Akhilesh on Sunday also replaced state unit chief Shivpal Singh with his loyalist and Member of Legislative Council Naresh Uttam.
The convention, declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh, also expelled Amar Singh from the party on Sunday. Later in the day, after a brief but vocal heated exchange between Mulayam-Shivpal and Akhilesh supporters, dozens of youth leaders and party activists owing allegiance to the 43-year-old Chief Minister stormed the party headquarters at Vikramaditya Marg and took control. Sources said that soon after “taking over” the party headquarters, Akhilesh was set to drive to his father’s house but was cautioned against it as a furious Mulayam Singh refused to provide him audience.
Mulayam Singh was closeted with Shivpal Singh for hours and was said to have punched a few numbers, seeking support from the old guard and also taking “legal opinion” on the coup against him. In the night, Mulayam Singh reportedly got high blood pressure and a team of doctors was requisitioned for a medical checkup. While the Akhilesh camp was likely to show the poll panel video recordings, papers and resolutions signed by at least 40 per cent of party workers — the number required to call an emergency convention as per its constitution — it was also relying on Ram Gopal Yadav’s skills as a man who was instrumental in drafting the constitution of the party 25 years back.
Mulayam Singh was also depending heavily on the very same constitution and the clauses within it to put forth an argument that the national convention called in haste was in contravention to the laid down rules of the party and hence anything that happened in it was invalid. Amar Singh was also said to have used his “networking skills” to line up a battery of legal eagles and constitutional experts to pitch in for the Mulayam Singh faction.
All eyes were now on the ECI which would mull over the episode and make a call. According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both factions to contest the state assembly polls scheduled to be held this year. This might come as a blow to both sides as the party symbol of ‘cycle’ was a well established brand.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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