Feature
UPCC President Raj Babbar claims Congress on path of resurgence in UP
Lucknow: “The Congress is clearly on the path of resurgence. The change is palpable on the ground and after a long time Congress workers are enthused. We are on the comeback path in Uttar Pradesh,” says UPCC President Raj Babbar.
In an interview to media persons, Babbar, who is now campaigning in Fatehpur Sikri from where he is contesting, said on phone: “For five years, people have seen how the Congress leadership was attacked by the BJP and people have also suffered the consequences of the Modi government’s policies. This election is an election for change and the results will prove it.”
Babbar said that after several years, Congress workers across Uttar Pradesh were actively working in the election.
“The sense of despair among party workers is gone and they can see that the Congress is looking towards a new future.”
Babbar admitted that the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics, especially in Uttar Pradesh, had filled the party with hope.
“We have a young leadership in Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. We also have the blessings and guidance of senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and this amalgam of experience and youth is very much evident in the Congress manifesto,” he explained.
Reacting to the joining of Shatrughan Sinha, Babbar said: “We are happy at this development and many more leaders will be joining the party in the days to come – an indication that the Congress is back in reckoning.”
We are on comeback path in Uttar Pradesh claims UPCC President Raj Babbar:
The Congress state president, however, refused to comment on the attack on the Congress by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party at the Deoband rally on Sunday.
“In elections, everyone says what suits him or her. We are not going to waste time on such issues but will focus on the people. Our alliance is with the people and we will concentrate on strengthening that,” he said.
Asked about the allegation that the Congress in Uttar Pradesh was relying heavily on turncoats who had recently joined the party, Raj Babbar said: “In elections, every party looks for candidates who rate high on the winnability factor and the Congress is doing the same. If someone has joined the party and he or she deserves a ticket, we cannot deny the same because he is new to the party.”
In Fatehpur Sikri, Babbar is pitted against his former acolyte Raj Kumar Chahar, who had been fielded by the BJP. The BSP has fielded Guddu Pandit, a proverbial party hopper who has travelled from BSP to SP to BJP and now back to BSP.
Babbar is banking mainly on the support of young voters and also the fact that he belongs to the neighboring Agra that is now a reserved seat.
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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