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Akhilesh Yadav files nomination from ‘karmabhoomi’ of ‘samajwadis’ Azamgarh
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat and exhorted the people of Purvanchal to remove the “dictatorial” BJP government in the state.
The SP chief, accompanied by Bahujan Samaj Party national general secretary Satish Chandra Misra, arrived here this morning to a rousing reception by party workers who had gathered in large numbers.
He later drove to the Collectorate to file his nomination papers as party supporters raised slogans outside.
Coming out after filing his papers, the SP chief said Azamgarh is the ‘karmabhoomi’ of ‘samajwadis’ and exuded confidence that the people will continue to repose their faith in him by giving him blessings and support.
Addressing an election meeting at the Baitholi by pass, Akhilesh Yadav said the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the state is an alliance of ‘mahaparivartan’ and not ‘mahamilawat’ (adulterated) as termed by the BJP.
“There are only three parties in our alliance whereas the BJP has an alliance with 38 parties… It is their alliance which is mahamilavati,” he said.
“I have come here to file nomination with the blessings of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and Mayawatiji (BSP president)… the BJP has done nothing other than betraying everyone including the ‘shiksh mitras’ and ‘anganwadi’ workers… the people of Purvanchanl will remove the dictatorial government,” he said.
Akhilesh accompanied by Satish Chandra Misra Yadav files nomination from Azamgarh:
Attacking Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh slammed him for his alleged ‘thok denge’ comment and raised the recent incident of two elected BJP representatives coming to blows at a meeting in Sant Kabirnagar district leaving the party red-faced.
“This time round, the people will give a befitting reply to chowkidar (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thokidar (Adityanath),” he said.
He also said that there is no difference between the Congress and the BJP.
Akhilesh Yadav is seeking election from the seat won by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav in the 2014 general elections and is pitted against Bhojpuri superstar Nirahua or Dinesh Lal Yadav of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mulayam Singh Yadav had bagged Azamgarh along with the Mainpuri seat, which he had represented thrice earlier in 1996, 2004 and 2009. He later chose to retain Azamgarh.
Polling in Azamgarh is slated for the sixth phase on May 12.
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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