Feature
Chandrapur becomes matter of pride for Hansraj Ahir as it is hometown of RSS
Nagpur: Chandrapur in Maharashtra may not be considered very significant in national politics but it has become a matter of pride for outgoing MP and Union Minister Hansraj Ahir as it is the hometown of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and a part of the BJP’s Vidarbha stronghold.
Ahir had played a major role in unearthing the coal scam during the UPA-II regime, a major campaign issue in the 2014 general elections that swept the BJP to power. The scam also led to the Supreme Court cancelling the licenses granted to 214 coal blocks.
His image as a clean and accessible leader can help him to get voters but his re-election may not be smooth-sailing. But he can be sure that RSS cadres would be working for him.
Unlike the previous few elections, there will a direct contest between the BJP and Congress in Chandrapur, which means the majority of votes – up to 85-90 per cent – will go to candidates of these two parties.
This spells trouble for Ahir, a four-term MP (1996, 2004, 2009, 2014). He managed to pull off a victory the last time around when the anti-BJP votes were split between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
In 2014, Ahir secured 45.77 per cent of the vote against Congress candidate Sanjay Deotale’s 24.49 per cent and 18.42 per cent of the AAP’s Wamanrao Chatap.
In 2009, Ahir defeated the Congress’ Naresh Puglia but the margin was thin – 33.59 per cent to Ahir and 29.97 per cent to Puglia. Chatap, who had contested on the Swatantra Bharat Paksh ticket, got 18.84 per cent of the votes.
Had Chatap not been in the poll fray, Ahir would not have won in 2009 while it could have been a neck-and-neck fight in 2014, political observers say.
This time, the Minister faces an aggressive Suresh Dhanorkar, who defected from the Shiv Sena to the Congress days ago.
Its becoming tough for BJP’s Hansraj Ahir to fight on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat home turf:
Earlier, the Congress had declared Vinayak Bangade’s name from Chandrapur but he was considered a weak candidate and would have paved the way for Ahir’s return to the Lok Sabha.
The Congress replaced Bangade with Dhanorkar at the last moment, following protests by local party workers and threat by state Congress President Ashok Chavanto resign.
While Ahir, who originally belongs to Uttar Pradesh, enjoys goodwill among the local population, the sentiment for a candidate with Maharashtrian roots can work against him.
Chandrapur, where teli (oil presses) and kunbi (farmer) communities are in sizable numbers, the voting is based on caste calculations if past elections are seen.
However, Ahir might play up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caste to consolidate teli votes.
Despite having served as Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ahir does not seem to have struck a cord with people when it comes to development works.
Political observers say BJP supporters are more inclined towards another powerful leader of the city and Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.
Being close to Modi, a clean image and accessibility are some of Ahir’s advantages.
However, he will have to sweat it out to turn voters away from Dhanorkar, who is said to have got traction among the electorate, particularly the youth.
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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