Feature
Total number of 251 candidates with criminal cases to fight LS polls in 2nd phase
New Delhi: A total of 251 candidates contesting in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls have declared criminal cases filed against themselves, including 167 with serious criminal cases, according to an analysis of self-sworn affidavits of 1,590 candidates by the National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
While there are a total of 1,644 candidates in fray for the second phase due on Thursday (April 18), 54 candidates could not be analysed due to unavailability of their properly scanned and complete affidavits, a statement from ADR said.
The report shared by the ADR said that among major parties, 23 out of 53 candidates from the Congress, 16 out of 51 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 16 out of 80 candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party, three out of 22 candidates from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, 11 out of 24 candidates from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and four out of 11 candidates from the Shiv Sena declared criminal cases against themselves.
It added that out of those, 17 candidates from the Congress, 10 from the BJP, 10 from the BSP, three from the AIADMK, seven from the DMK and one from the Sena were involved in serious criminal cases.
The analysis also showed that three candidates declared they have been convicted in cases against them while six declared cases related to murder against themselves and 25 candidates cases related to attempt to murder.
The statement added that 8 candidates declared cases related to kidnapping while 10 declared cases against them related to crime against women such as rape, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, and husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty.
A total of 15 candidates also declared cases related to hate speech against themselves.
Near about 251 candidates contesting in 2nd phase of LS polls with criminal cases:
While 423 candidates declared assets worth over Rs 1 crore with most from the Congress (46) and the BJP (45), the average assets of candidates from the Congress was Rs 31.83 crore and those from the BJP was Rs 21.59 crore.
There were 16 candidates who declared zero assets.
Congress’ Kanniyakumari candidate Vasanthakumar H. had the highest declared assets (over Rs 417 crore), followed by its Purnia (Bihar) candidate Uday Singh (over Rs 341 crore) and Bangalore Rural candidate D.K. Suresh (over Rs 338 crore).
Hindustan Janta Party’s Solapur (Maharashtra) candidate Shrivenkateswar Maha Swamiji declared assets worth only Rs 9, while two independent candidates from Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai, Rajesh P. and Raja N., declared assets worth Rs 100.
The analysis also showed that there are 52 candidates with assets worth more than Rs 1 crore who have not declared their income tax details. Among them are
Independent candidates from West Bengal’s Raiganj, Binoy Kumar Das, and Bangalore Central, C.B.K. Rama, who have declared assets worth over Rs 18 crore and Rs 15 crore respectively.
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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