Feature
Local body polls: Congress bags 108 of 278 seats
Imphal: In the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Manipur, the Congress today bagged 108 out of the 278 seats after polling took place on January 11.
The local body elections were held in 18 municipal councils and eight nagar panchayats to elect 278 councillors and 586 nagar panchayat members in Manipur’s four districts of Imphal West, Thoubal, Imphal East, and Bishnupur.
The results were declared late Saturday for 278 municipal council seats, of which the Congress won 108 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party 62, Communist Party of India 2, Lok Janashakti Party four and the Independents 102.
Though elections were to be held for 279 seats, one seat remained vacant as no nomination was filed for it.
As the results were being declared, Manipur’s Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and BJP state unit president Thounaojam Chaoba were making claims and counter-claims on their parties’ electoral gains in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls.
Gaikhangam said: “Most of the Independents were fielded by the Congress. The elected Independents have started joining the Congress.”
BJP’s Chaoba contended that the Congress is on the wane since it could field just 199 candidates. Considering the fact that the BJP had no elected member in these local bodies in the past, winning such a large number of seats is a gigantic stride, he added.
He said: “This shows the unmistakable (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi wave in Manipur. We are certain of wresting the political power from the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections.”
The way the party’s position was whittled away shows the growing resentment of the people against the Congress ministry, he added.
Countering Chaoba’s attacks before the January 11 polls, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi had said the outcome will establish whether the BJP has made any inroads.
Upbeat by the poll results, Chaoba said: “Now it is clearly proven that the Modi wave has made a landfall in Manipur and that the Congress is on the way out.”
Deputy chief minister Gaikhangam brushed aside the BJP contention that the Congress wave is on the wane, saying the Congress is consolidating its strength and will certainly retain power for the fourth assembly term in 2017.
The BJP, which had no legislator, parliament member or other elected members in Manipur, first opened account by winning two bypolls tom the assembly in last November.
The winning of substantial number of seats in the local bodies is a major achievement for the BJP. However, the party is hamstrung by internal bickerings.
The BJP has been embroiled in some blame game for its not-so-impressive poll performances. In fact, Chaoba who was to retire late last year, got a new lease till the local body polls. Now there already is a hectic lobbying for the next BJP state unit president.
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.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
