Battle of Mysore: It's battle royale between Siddaramaiah and scion of erstwhile Mysuru royal family
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hasn't entered the electoral contest here but the battle for Mysuru Lok Sabha seat is certainly seen as one between him and scion of the erstwhile royal family.
For four days from March 24, Siddaramaiah camped in Mysuru - his home district - personally overseeing the poll preparations of the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Springing a surprise, the BJP fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, replacing the MP Pratap Simha.
Congress Karnataka unit spokesperson M Lakshmana is the party candidate here with some leaders in the outfit projecting the electoral contest as Common man versus Raja (king)'.
Siddaramaiah held several rounds of meetings with the party office-bearers in various Assembly constituencies under the Mysore Lok Sabha segment and issued several instructions to them.
"The pressure on Siddaramaiah is quite palpable as he has to demonstrate his hold among masses in the upcoming Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka and more so in Mysuru," a political analyst said.
Siddaramaiah represents Varuna in Mysuru district in the legislative assembly.
ALSO READ: Saina Nehwal lashes out at anti-woman remarks by Congress leader
The Battle of Mysore' isn't an easy one - it's a battle royale' where the stakes are high for the CM as well as the Mysuru royal family.
True to his "majestic position", the well-mannered, US-educated Wadiyar has gone about campaigning in a dignified way earning respect from his subjects', as the Mysuru Maharajaru' or the Maharaja of Mysuru.
Lakshmana is from Vokkaliga (farming) community, which dominates the Mysuru region. After his candidature was announced, he said the Congress has given a befitting reply to the BJP by giving ticket to him because the opposition party in the State often alleged that Siddaramaiah was anti-Vokkaliga.
Lakshmana's Vokkaliga card was aimed at subtly sending across a message to his community that the BJP denied ticket to Pratap Simha, a Vokkaliga, and preferred Wadiyar from erstwhile royal family.
On Congress' slogan of Common man versus Raja', Wadiyar said in democratic India no one is king and everyone is equal in the eyes of law.
When reporters asked recently whether Mysore seat was a prestige issue for him, the Chief Minister said all the 28 Lok Sabha seats are a prestige issue for him.
However, sources close to him hint that Siddaramaiah is leaving no stone unturned and pulling out all stops in his home turf.
"It indeed is a prestige issue for him given the high stakes for him. It's in a way like perform or perish for him," a Congress insider told PTI.
According to him, during the recent meeting with the party office-bearers, the Chief Minister gave clear instructions' not to use any derogatory or defamatory language against Wadiyar as it can backfire on them.
The Mysore Lok Sabha constituency is spread over two districts of Mysuru and Kodagu. In the 2023 Assembly election, the Congress won five seats, JD(S) two and BJP one.
The BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections winning 25 out of 28 seats, while an independent backed by the party had also won.
The Congress and the JD(S), which fought together in an alliance, won one seat each.
This time, the JD(S), which has considerable vote base in the constituency, has forged an alliance with the BJP, a move that is likely to benefit Wadiyar in no small measure in his political debut.
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.
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
===================
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.
