Feature
To form government, Sachin Pilot in talks with other parties to let BJP sit in opposition
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said his party is in touch with all those who fought the assembly elections on the anti-BJP plank to bring them together and form a “people’s government.”
Addressing a press conference here, Pilot said the verdict was against the ruling party in the state — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — as it is likely to lose almost 100 seats as compared to its tally in the last Assembly elections.
“Those who fought against the BJP, they should come together as the mandate is against the BJP. All those parties which are against the BJP at the Centre and in the state, we are in touch with them,” Pilot said.
He, however, expressed confidence that the Congress will get a majority on its own in the state. “I am sure of getting a majority. But we want to not just form a Congress government but a people’s government,” he said.
Pilot said there was momentum against the BJP in the country and it should be carried to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He said the newly-elected Congress MLAs will meet on Wednesday to choose the leader of the legislature party.
The Congress leader said that despite the likely loss of a large number of seats, the BJP was still desperate to form a government in the state but will not succeed.
“You should remember that the BJP won 165 seats in the last elections in the state and now there is loss of nearly 100 seats. If this is not defeat then what is,” Pilot wanted to know.
The latest Election Commission figures from Rajasthan show Congress leading in 99 constituencies, BJP has won one seat and is leading in 73 others, Independents are leading in 14, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in five, Communist Party of India-Marxist in two and Bharatiya Tribal Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal in one each of the 199 seats for which the trends are available.
Election in the Ramgarh constituency was countermanded due to the death of BSP candidate Laxman Singh.
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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