India submits bid to host 2030 CWG: Sports ministry source
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI): With an eye on hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, India has formally submitted its bid to conduct the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, a top sports ministry source told PTI on Thursday, confirming a move that has been in the making for several weeks.
The last date to submit the 'Expression of Interest' to host the Games is March 31 and India's letter was sent by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) a few days ago.
"Yes, it is true, India's bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games has been submitted by the IOA and the state of Gujarat," the ministry source stated.
Ahmedabad, the city that has been finalised to organise the 2030 CWG should the event come to India, is also the front-runner to be the Olympic host if the 2036 bid is successful.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which has re-branded itself as Commonwealth Sport, will now lead an evaluation process and the final appointment of the host will be decided by the CGF General Assembly.
The decision to submit the bid comes after sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently asserted that the country was interested in hosting the Games.
India, which last hosted the CWG in 2010, is also aiming to host the 2036 Olympics.
The country had also expressed a desire to host all those disciplines that were axed from the 2026 CWG to ensure that its medal tally is not affected when the event is held in Glasgow. However, that proposal was rejected by CGF.
However, the CGF CEO Katie Sadleir was quite open to the idea of India hosting the 2030 CWG and had said that it would be a step in the right direction as the country pursued the ambition of playing host to the 2036 Olympics.
The CWG has been struggling to find hosts in recent years and the 2026 edition was thrown into turmoil when original host Victoria (in Australia) withdrew due to escalating costs.
Glasgow stepped in to salvage the event but announced a massively pruned schedule of just 10 sports to be held at four venues within an eight-mile radius of the city.
India has rarely held multi-sport extravaganzas. The 2010 CWG and the 1982 Asian Games are the only instances of multi-sport events being held in the country and both occasions, the host city was the national capital of Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first talked about his government's aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics during the 2023 IOC (International Olympic Committee) session in Mumbai.
India will have to face competition from several other nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, who are positioning themselves as strong contenders to host the sporting spectacle. A decision on the 2036 Olympic host is not expected before 2026.
However, the pace of the process is expected to pick up after the IOC smoothly conducted its Annual Session in Greece to elect former Olympic champions Kirsty Coventry as its first woman President.
India has so far submitted a 'Letter of Intent' to host the Games. With that, the nation progressed from "Informal Dialogue" to the "Continuous Dialogue" stage of the host election process.
In this stage, the IOC conducts a "feasibility study" of the progress of projects associated with the Games in the potential host.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
