Congress leader Deshpande eyes winning streak for record 9th time; says could be his last election
Haliyal (PTI): Veteran Congress leader R V Deshpande -- who is eying to create a record in Karnataka if he wins for the ninth time in the assembly poll this year -- said this could be his last election and noted he is not a man who will fight for the Chief Minister's post.
Among the Congress candidates in the state, Despande (76) is the senior most contesting for the ninth consecutive time. He also equals AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge's record of winning the most number of assembly polls in the state.
Deshpande was originally not a Congressman. He switched over to Congress in 1999 from the Janata Parivar. Until then, he got elected to the assembly in four elections from the Janata Parivar.
In an interview to PTI, Deshpande said: "Kharge and I have won assembly elections eight times. If I win this time, it will be a record in the House. Nobody has won nine times."
Asked why he has been lying low and does not figure in the list of contenders for CM despite being the senior most, he said, "I am not lying low in a way because I am a very disciplined man. I am not in any race. ...there could be a desire for CM, but you should not fight for that."
He denied senior Congress leaders like Siddaramaih and D K Shivakumar were fighting it out for the CM's post, should the party win the May 10 Assembly polls.
"They have a desire. If I get an offer, I will have a desire. But I am the last man to fight for that."
Deshpande said he has worked with eight chief ministers from Ramkrishna Hegde till date. "I led padayatra against the mining mafia in Bellary. I have so many things to my credit," he said.
Moreover as per the Constitution, it is left to the legislative party and the high command to decide who should be the CM, he added.
Deshpande also mentioned, "most likely, this could be the last election (for him). If God and voters help, this could be a record... it is difficult to fit in the current politics as the political discourse has fallen very low."
Deshpande is contesting from the Haliyal assembly segment, where BJP has fielded Sunil Hegade, while S L Ghotnekar is contesting on a JD(S) ticket. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Gurudeep Singh Sandhu.
In a triangular fight in the Haliyal assembly segment that has 1.75 lakh voters, the dominant Marathi-speaking population will be a decisive factor. Gotekar -- a former MLC who defected from the Congress -- is a Maratha and it needs to be seen in which way the votes will shift. BJP is also trying hard to defeat Deshpande.
"Marathas have shown their secular credentials in all my elections. Earlier, there were Maratha candidates contesting from this constituency, I am confident that they will definitely vote for Congress and for the work I have done," Deshpande said.
The Congress will win with a reasonable margin, he added.
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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.
