'Embarrassed' AICF files police complaint after Chess Olympiad trophy goes missing
Chennai, Sep 21: An "embarrassed" All India Chess Federation (AICF) has filed a police complaint after a Chess Olympiad trophy its team won in the last edition of the tournament at home went missing from its office, forcing the sports body to arrange for a replica of the prized possession and tender an apology.
It is a rolling trophy, and the incident came at a time when the Indian men's team is closing in on the gold medal in the ongoing 45th edition of the Olympiad at Budapest.
AICF sources confirmed that the Gaprindashvili Trophy, given to the team with the best overall performance across open and women's divisions, has gone missing.
India was the last holder of the trophy, having won it here in 2022.
AICF vice-president Anil Kumar Raizada told PTI that the trophy has been missing for over a month and it came, after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) had asked for the trophy to be brought to Budapest.
"After we had received a request from FIDE for the trophy to be brought, we have been unable to trace it for over 30 days. As a result, we have filed an official police complaint, and an investigation will follow," he said.
A senior AICF official said that a "contingency plan is in place" and that "a replacement trophy" has already been ordered for the current edition.
"Yes, we tried to look for it all around following FIDE's request. However, we have been unable to locate it so far. It is indeed an embarrassing situation, and these things require utter responsibility," the senior official stated on the condition of anonymity.
"For now, a replacement trophy has been ordered. It won't be as unique as the original, but still, it will be close to the original one. We apologise for the mess."
The current edition of the Olympiad got underway on September 10 and is set to conclude on September 23.
A total of 197 teams representing 195 national federations are presently competing in the event.
For India, the open team consists of Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Harikrishna Pentala.
As for the women, the side includes Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
