K'taka polls: Congress alleges CMO calling returning officers to reject its candidates applications
Bengaluru: The Congress on Saturday alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's office is calling the returning officers of various districts to find defects in the applications filed by Congress candidates and rectify the mistakes in the filings of BJP candidates contesting the Assembly election.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D K Shivakumar demanded that the Election Commission should investigate the matter and summon the call details of the CMO to ascertain the truth.
"A major conspiracy is going on to reject the applications of the Congress candidates," the party's Karnataka unit chief said in a press conference.
He charged that some applications of the BJP candidates, for instance in Saundatti Yellamma constituency, are defective but the CMO "directly called the officer and directed him to make changes".
"There is no need to elaborate how a big team is trying to reject (my) application. You all have been informed about it," the Congress state chief said.
Shivakumar said he has filed the election form 10 times yet "when they can do this to me then imagine what they can do to the ordinary candidates".
"Pressure is being built on all the returning officers. There is rampant misuse of power. The EC must take note of it. The CMO must be investigated," the Kanakapura candidate demanded.
Also Read: Over 3,000 validly nominated candidates in fray after scrutiny
On Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje's charge that the Congress was collecting 'bribe' from those candidates who have been given ticket to contest the Assembly election, Shivakumar retorted that his party was not collecting '40 per cent commission'.
"We are only raising building fund for our party. We are collecting Rs 2 lakh from general candidates and Rs 1 lakh from SC/ST candidates," Shivakumar explained.
The opposition Congress is locked in a tussle with the ruling BJP to wrest power in Karnataka with the JD(S) also an important player as polling is just weeks away.
Karnataka will vote in a single phase on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.
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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.
