Lakshya Sen definitely deserved a medal at Paris Olympics: Viktor Axelsen
New Delhi (PTI): Young Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen definitely deserved a medal for his "fantastic performances" at the Olympics, reckons two-time world champion Viktor Axelsen, who defended his gold medal at the Paris Games.
The 22-year-old Sen became the first Indian men’s badminton player to qualify for the semifinals at the Olympics this year but lost in the final four clash to the Danish superstar.
Sen had to deal with further disappointment as he lost to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal playoff to eventually finish fourth in the competition.
While replying to Sen’s post on 'X' in which the Indian had expressed his gratitude for the support that he received from his fans, Axelsen wrote, “Keep going brother. You can be really proud of yourself. Wish all semifinalists could get a medal as you definitely deserve one.” (sic)
"Congrats to you all on a fantastic performance at the Games," he added.
Having defeated Sen 22-20 21-14 in their semifinal match, Axelsen had predicted a gold medal for the Indian player in the next iteration of the summer Games.
"Lakshya is an amazing player. He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favourites to win the gold,” he had said.
"(He is) an amazing talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
