Direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress on victory in Ladakh council polls
New Delhi, (PTI) With the Congress winning several seats in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, the party said it is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at the media saying "the national media will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP."
"This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party has registered a resounding victory in the Ladakh hill council elections after 10 years.
"Along with our INDIA partner National Conference, we have swept the entire region in its first election after the abrogation of Art. 370.
"Rahul Gandhi ji's Bharat Jodo Yatra last month across the region has given people of Ladakh and Kargil the faith that the Congress and INDIA have a deep concern about the issues they face, and the need for their democratic sentiments to be given a voice," he said on X.
"Congratulations to all victorious candidates," Venugopal said, adding "I am confident this will usher a new democratic dawn in Ladakh and Kargil".
Another Congress leader P Chidambaram said the LAHDC poll result is a "resounding victory for I.N.D.I.A. and a crushing defeat for the BJP".
"The results show that the people have totally repudiated the misguided agenda of the BJP, the revocation of Art. 370 and the creation of Union Territories out of a State. "If elections are held in the Kashmir valley, the results will not be different," he said.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also said the people of Ladakh-Kargil have spoken decisively.
"A resounding mandate for us in the Ladakh-Kargil Autonomous Hill Council elections - the first electoral exercise since abolition of Art 370.
"In August Rahul Gandhi ji's Bharat Jodo Yatra all across Leh-Ladakh met and assured the people of the region that their voices matter," she said.
The National Conference and the Congress together won 22 seats in the LAHDC polls, officials said on Sunday.
The elections to the LAHDC-Kargil was the first poll to be held after Ladakh was carved out as a Union territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
Twenty-six seats of the council went to polls on October 4. The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member council.
According to the officials, the National Conference (NC) won 12 seats, making it the single largest party, while its ally Congress registered victory in 10. The BJP won two seats, while two independent candidates also registered victory, they said.
The existing council headed by the NC's Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1. The new council will be in place before October 11.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
