BJP will return to power with full majority in Karnataka: Pralhad Joshi
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP will return to power with "full majority" in Karnataka under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor B S Yediyurappa, Union minister Pralhad Joshi asserted on Wednesday after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the state polls.
Joshi, the Union minister of parliamentary affairs and MP from Karnataka's Dharwad seat, said he was confident about the BJP coming back to power for the second consecutive term because of its government's "historic" work for the development of the state.
"In view of the work that our double engine government has done for the development of the state under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I am fully confident that BJP will return to power with full majority in Karnataka under the leadership of Yediyurappa ji and Bommai ji," he said.
The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that assembly elections will be held in Karnataka on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.
Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the notification for the elections to the 224-member assembly will be issued on April 13 and the last date for filing nomination papers will be April 20.
Asked for his comment on the announcement of poll schedule, Joshi said the BJP government has done "historic work" for the development of Karnataka.
People of Karnataka are keen on giving mandate to the BJP for the second consecutive term as they know "the history of the Congress", he claimed.
"Congress makes false promises... They have not fulfilled the promises they made in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and recently in Himachal Pradesh," he charged.
"If development has to happen, Modi ji-led BJP has to be supported such kind of excitement is already visible among people (in Karnataka)," he claimed.
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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.
