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Congress MP Priya Dutt reveals she will not contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls
Mumbai: Ending speculations over her future political move months after she was ‘relieved’ as an AICC secretary, high-profile former Congress MP Priya Dutt Monday announced that she would not contest the 2019 elections and spend more time with her family.
In a statement, the former Congress MP said she had shared her decision to take a break from active politics with Congress president Rahul Gandhi a couple of months ago.
The Congress leader also said that she was committed to work for the party and its candidate, but “would not support anyone against her conscience”. “I will not be contesting the 2019 General Election.
Politics needs a particular mind-set that I do not have. However, I have great respect for those who do,” she stated. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Dutt was defeated by BJP’s Poonam Mahajan from the Mumbai North Central seat.
Dutt, daughter of actor-turned-politician late Sunil Dutt, stated that she had decided in 2005, when she entered politics, that she would “step out for a while” after contesting three terms.
In 2005, following the death of her father, Dutt contested from his Mumbai North West seat and defeated Shiv Sena veteran Madhukar Sarpotdar. In 2009, she emerged victorious from the Mumbai North Central seat.
Priya Dutt daughter of veteran actor reveals not to contest Lok Sabha polls:
In her statement, Dutt has hailed and thanked her “mentor” UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. She also praised Rahul Gandhi for being a “good human being and a compassionate leader” the country needs.
Dutt was relieved as AICC (All India Congress Committee) secretary in September-October last year, raising speculations over factionalism in the Mumbai Congress unit. Dutt noted that being a politician was a 24/7 job and that one has life, family and privacy while serving the nation.
“So it is my humble request to those who hate all politicians because of the misdeeds of a few to not judge all by the same yardstick. I have served honestly and selflessly, and so have many others,” she stated.
Dutt said the past years had been “enlightening” for her, but added that she struggled to keep a balance between her personal and political life. She said did her best in the electoral politics which took a toll on many aspects of her life.
“My boys are now 13 and 11 years old. I had missed so many special moments in their lives and want to be there for them more than ever before…My husband has steadily supported me all these years and has sacrificed much of his life to adjust to mine. It was time for me to be together with and for them,” she said.
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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