Parliamentary Board likely to meet on April 8 to decide BJP candidates for Karnataka polls: Bommai
Bengaluru(PTI): The BJP Parliamentary Board is likely to meet on April 8 to finalise the list of BJP candidates for the May ten Karnataka Assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday.
He said the ruling party already has the survey report of each constituency but it has sought the opinion of each District Core Committee on shortlisted candidates.
"We will discuss the names recommended by the district committees during the State Core Committee meeting on Tuesday and then send it to the Central Parliamentary Board. The Parliamentary Board is likely to meet on April 8 where the names will be finalised after discussion," Bommai said.
The Parliamentary Board is the BJP's highest decision-making body. Karnataka BJP strongman and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa is a member of the Board.
Bommai indicated that there is strong competition to get a BJP ticket to contest the polls. "At some places, there are three to four candidates willing to contest on the BJP ticket. This is an indication that we are a winning party," he said.
Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 10 and counting will take place on May 13.
Opposition parties Congress and JD(S) have already released their first list of candidates for the election. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a new entrant to the state, has also put out its candidates' list.
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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.
