Feature
Jaya Prada’s one time colleague Azam Khan becomes rival after actress joins BJP
Lucknow: Seeking a third term from Rampur Lok Sabha seat — this time as a BJP candidate, Bollywood actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada on Monday attacked her one-time Samajwadi Party colleague and now a rival candidate Azam Khan, saying he is fighting polls to legalise his acts”.
I have an emotional attachment with the people of Rampur. I am here to work for them and make Narendra Modi our prime minister once again while Azam is fighting election to legalise his acts,” Jaya Prada told media persons in an interview.
Jaya Prada, who had created history in 2004 by winning the Rampur seat for the first time for SP, defeating the heavyweight, sitting Congress MP Begum Noor Bano by 85,000 votes, is now back as a BJP candidate.
Asked what differences she finds in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls as compared to her earlier bids, Jaya Prada said, With the BJP cadre around with me, things have become much easier. I had to manage things earlier on my own but with the cadre support this time, it is quite easy to manage them.
On how she takes Azam Khan’s statement calling her nachne gaane wali’ (singer-dancer), Jaya Prada said, He can say anything. He did not have any respect for women. It’s his habit to make such statements but the people of Rampur knows him very well.”
“They dislike what he says and will reply to him with their votes, she added.
In 2004, when I was in Mumbai (acting in Bollywood) and contested from here, he (Azam) campaigned for me. Didn’t he know me then? He now calls me ‘amrapali’ (dancer), nachne wali etc. It’s his habit, he can say anything to any women. He is a performer himself, she added.
About the response she is getting from the people of Rampur, Jaya Prada said, “Jatavs and Dalits are unhappy with the SP. They are with us. Azam, who has been nine-time MLA from Rampur has done nothing for rural areas. He had been a Cabinet minister but rural areas still lacks development as he did nothing.
On her rivals’ charges that she is an outsider and in Rampur for the Lok Sabha elections only, Jaya Prada asked, “How can I be outsider?”
“I represented the constituency in 2004 and 2009. I have been with the people in their good and bad times. They (rivals) are trying to confuse people but they are certainly not confused. They have made up their mind.
Referring to various controversial remarks made by Azam Khan in past, Jaya Prada said, “Those who call Bharat Mata as ‘dayan’, who does not acknowledge Kashmir as part of India and use foul language against our PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, stands exposed before people. Their anger is visible when I meet them and they share their views.
Jaya Prada colleague Azam Khan turns rival after acting queen holds hand of BJP:
Asked if she missed her friend Amar Singh in her poll campaigning, Jaya Prada, who had contested the 2014 polls from Bijnore on a RLD ticket but lost her deposit and slipped into political oblivion, said she was “concerned” about his health.
“I pray for his speedy recovery. May he be fine, she said.
On her election issues, Jaya Prada said, she was fighting the poll for restoration of women’s pride and freeing Rampur from the illegal grip of Azam Khan”.
“I also want to ensure development of the constituency,” she added.
“I am sure the people of Rampur will once again give me a chance to represent them, she added.
Rampur is a minority-dominated Lok Sabha constituency in western Uttar Pradesh. It had been a Congress stronghold from 1952 to 1989 before the BJP won it for the first time in 1991.
The Congress, however, managed to wrest it back in 1996 by fielding Begum Noor Bano.
In 1998, BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi won the seat but the next year, Begum Noor Bano got it back for the Congress again.
The Samajwadi Party made its entry in Rampur in 2004, fielding Jaya Prada who defeated Noor Bano by a big margin.
The Congress did not field Noor Bano this time and gave ticket to Sanjay Kapoor from Rampur, making the fight for it virtually a direct one between Jaya Prada and Azam Khan who is a nine-time MLA from the Rampur assembly seat.
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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