Punjab: Counting of votes for local body polls underway; AAP claims victory in 927 zones
Chandigarh (PTI): Counting of votes for the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in Punjab was underway on Wednesday even as the ruling AAP claimed it registered victories in more than 900 zones and was leading in many so far. Complete results are expected late evening, officials said.
The counting of ballot papers started at 8 am at 154 centres set up across the state.
Polls were held to elect members of 347 zones of 22 zila parishads and 2,838 zones of 153 panchayat samitis on December 14.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the results of zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections declared so far are in AAP's favour. The results and poll trends so far indicated people's inclination towards the Punjab government's policies, he said.
In zila parishad, the results for 71 zones have been declared so far, with AAP winning in 60 zones, the Congress seven, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP one each and two independents, said Arora.
"Almost 85 per cent results (declared so far) are in favour of AAP," he claimed.
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In case of panchayat samitis, Arora said the results for 1,875 zones have been declared, of which AAP candidates won 867 zones, which works out to be about 68 per cent. The Congress managed to win 216 zones, SAD 129, independents 63 and the BJP 20, he said.
He further said AAP is leading in 113 zones of zila parishads and 257 zones of panchayat samitis. "It shows one-sided atmosphere in the poll. People in villages gave their stamps to AAP's good governance," said Arora.
During the polling for zila parishad and panchayat samiti, a voter turnout of 48 per cent was recorded, with more than 9,000 candidates in the fray.
Earlier in the day in Patiala, SAD workers alleged they were denied entry to a counting centre on the Patiala-Nabha road. SAD leader Jaspal Singh claimed Rahul Saini, son of Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, was inside the counting centre, while opposition representatives were denied entry.
The opposition leaders demanded immediate intervention by election authorities to ensure transparent and fair counting, saying that "continued interference" would undermine public faith in the democratic process.
At the University College, Ghanaur, during the counting for the Shambhu block, former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur alleged that sitting MLA Gurlal Singh Ghanaur entered the counting centre without authorisation.
Jalalpur claimed that despite possessing valid passes, he and his counting agents were stopped outside, while the MLA was allowed in.
He alleged that police officers present at the centre did not intervene despite repeated complaints.
Candidates of all major political parties -- AAP, the Congress, SAD, and the BJP -- contested the zila parishad and panchayat samiti polls on party symbols.
On December 14, the Congress and SAD accused AAP of indulging in "blatant electoral malpractices" during the polling. Earlier, they had targeted the Bhagwant Mann government, accusing it of using the government machinery to prevent their candidates from filing nomination papers and getting those rejected.
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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.
