Feature
Mehbooba Mufti unlikely to Sworn In As a New chief Minister
Jammu/Srinagar: President Mehbooba Mufti is unlikely to stake claim to power in Jammu and Kashmir in absence of concrete assurances from the BJP on the agenda of alliance between the two parties and her misgivings over their relationship, party sources said on Friday.
“It is not the question of whether she gets sworn in as the new chief minister of the state or not. She believes the terms of the alliance agenda have not been implemented during the 10-month period of her father’s rule because the BJP made assurances without any translation on the ground.
“She is worried about the promises made by her father and the party to the people,” a top Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) source told IANS.
“Mehboobaji has been in deep introspection since Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) Sahib passed away. She seems to have misgivings on continuation of the alliance with the BJP.
“After resisting the lure to assume the reins of power in the state for the last 23 days, it is highly unlikely that she will agree to head the same ruling coalition unless the BJP walks the extra mile,” said the source.
Lending credence to this is the PDP’s announcement that no discussions on government formation will be discussed during the party meeting called in Srinagar on January 31.
“We shall be discussing party affairs, strengthening the party at the grassroots level and other related issues without taking up the issue of staking claim to power,” said a party source.
Others in the party argue that to stake claim to power after delaying the matter for nearly a month would be giving in to the bait thrown by rivals, like the National Conference (NC) which has been calling the PDP decision to take its own time to decide on future course of action as “theatrics”.
“She (Mehbooba Mufti) is not someone who jumps to conclusions under pressure.
“She has a long political career ahead which cannot be staked for immediate power unless she fulfils the promises made to the people and the aspirations they attached to the stewardship of an experienced politician like Mufti sahib,” said a party source, adding she needs assurances on resumption of talks with separatists, vacation of lands occupied by the army and return of power projects to state ownership.
If these sources are to be believed, then the state would be heading for a midterm poll since both the NC and the Congress have already shown reluctance to support any other alliance given the present numbers in the 87-member state legislative assembly.
The PDP won 28, the BJP 25, the NC 15, the Congress 12, the CPI-M one, Peoples Conference 2 and others fours seats in the 2014 assembly elections in the state.
Governor N.N. Vohra has started tightening his laces to run the government.
Vohra has asked top officials of the state finance department to start the process for vote on account for the next fiscal beginning April 1, 2016 so that the state is saved from plunging into any financial crisis.
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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