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EC bars Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati from election campaigning starting tomorrow
New Delhi: Giving a big jolt to ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pardesh and its one of major opposition enemy Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, the Election Commission (EC) to put bans on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Mayawati from election campaigning for violation of Model Code of Conduct.
The Apex Election governing body EC put bans UP CM Adityanath and BSP chief Mayawati from election campaigning for 72 hours & 48 hours respectively, starting from 6 am tomorrow for making objectionable statements in their speeches.
The Election Commission today taking note of alleged hate speeches placed a temporary ban on election campaigning by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP supremo Mayawat for violating the Model Code of Conduct.
While Yogi Adityanath has been barred from campaigning, in the form of public meetings, road shows or media interviews, for the next three days from April 16 (6am), Mayawati has been barred for 48 hours.
The Election Commission action came after the Supreme Court pulled the poll body for failing to act against political leaders making heat speeches.
EC turns hard on Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati puts ban from election campaigning:
Taking note of the alleged hate speeches made by BSP supremo and UP Chief Minister during poll campaign, the Supreme Court on today sought to know from the Election Commission the action initiated against them so far.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, even summoned a representative of the Election Commission for Tuesday (April 16) while agreeing to examine the poll panel’s contention that it has limited legal power to deal with hate speeches of politicians during electioneering.
“The EC says they are toothless. They say they first issue notice, then advisory and then complain,” the bench said, and added it will examine the aspect relating to poll panel’s power to deal with hate speeches during poll campaign.
While hearing a PIL seeking strict action against political parties for religion and caste-based remarks made by their members, the Supreme Court had said the poll body was duty-bound to take action and cannot sleep over such issues.
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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