Mary Kom trades punches with Sports Minister Rathore in 'fun session'
New Delhi, Nov 1: Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom had an unlikely training partner on Thursday when Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore donned the punching mitts and sparred with her.
The diminutive 35-year-old was seen playfully aiming for the Olympic silver-medallist former shooter outside the ring in a one-minute video she posted after training at the IG Stadium.
The 48-year-old Rathore had a smile on his face as he successfully dodged the attacks launched by the Manipuri, at the end of which the two shared an embrace.
"Today, he came to the national camp and it was great for all of us. All the boxers in the camp felt motivated by his presence at the training. It was a nice gesture by him," Mary Kom, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, told PTI about the "fun session".
While Mary Kom had her gloves on, Rathore wore the punching mitts, padded gloves that are generally donned by trainers to provide boxers with the counter-force while training. The audience included Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh among others.
The Olympic bronze-medallist and multiple-time Asian gold-medallist is gearing up for the world championships starting November 15 here. She would be aiming for a historic sixth gold in the 48 kg category.
"He is taller than me, so reaching him was a challenge. But I think I did alright," she laughed.
But who challenged whom?
"It was actually the photographers who came to shoot, they wanted some action. We said 'ok we will give you action'. He was also enjoying himself and so was I," Mary Kom said.
Mary Kom has enjoyed a stellar year so far, claiming gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, the inaugural India Open and the International Tournament in Poland.
"Hum Fit Tho India Fit" ???
— Adarsh Hegde (@adarshdgp) November 1, 2018
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore & boxing champion Mary Kom decided to show their skills???
Both are sportsmen and politicians too.
Mary kom is a Rajya Sabha Member.?@Ra_THORe @MangteC @ShefVaidya @AgentSaffron pic.twitter.com/5hlzr0pOf1
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.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
