Haryana Election results: INDIA bloc allies urge Congress to rethink poll strategy after loss
New Delhi: Following its defeat in the Haryana assembly elections, the Congress party's allies in the INDIA bloc have called for a review of its election strategy. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiv Sena-UBT, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) voiced concerns over the Congress’s approach, particularly as upcoming polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi draw near.
Despite initially trailing during the vote count, the BJP secured a significant victory, winning 48 out of 90 seats, while the Congress, expected to capitalize on anti-incumbency sentiments, managed only 37 seats.
AAP leaders criticised the Congress, warning against overconfidence. Arvind Kejriwal stated that the key takeaway from the results is to avoid complacency. Manish Sisodia added that although voters sought to unseat the BJP, the Congress's strategic flaws led to its poor performance.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi maintained that the Haryana results would not affect the Maharashtra elections but advised the Congress to refine its strategy. CPI general secretary D Raja urged the Congress to introspect and involve all INDIA bloc partners in shaping the strategy for the upcoming polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
With the Congress engaged in seat-sharing talks with Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray has pushed for clarity on the coalition's chief ministerial candidate. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasised adherence to 'coalition dharma' and stressed that alliance issues should be discussed internally, rather than through the media.
The Haryana election outcome has raised concerns within the opposition bloc as they prepare for crucial assembly elections in key states.
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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
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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.
