Sumalatha to make her stand clear on contesting LS elections tomorrow
Bengaluru, Apr 2: Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh has said she will make her decision on contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections public at Kalikamba Temple in the district headquarter town of Mandya on Wednesday.
In a long post on the micro-blogging site 'X' on Tuesday, the actress-turned-politician who won 2019 elections with BJP's backing from Mandya, asked people to gather at the temple on Wednesday.
"Many are waiting for my stance on contesting elections. Serious thought has already been given in this regard. Neither your favorite 'Rebel Star' Ambareesh nor myself or anyone from our family are ever clinging to power," Sumalatha said.
She said she will discuss with her voters before taking a final call.
"Tomorrow (April 3) at 10 AM in the Kalikamba Temple, I will offer pooja, then in the temple premises I will clarify my stand before all of you and announce my decision regarding the Mandya Lok Sabha elections," the wife of eminent Kannada actor-turned-politician late Ambareesh, said.
She said her son Abhishek Ambareesh and Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa will be present when she will make her decision public.
Thursday is the last day of filing nomination papers for the first phase of polls in Karnataka, where polling will be held in 14 constituencies on April 26. For the second phase, polling in the remaining 14 constituencies will take place on May 7.
The BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) had requested her not to contest the election this time assuring her a 'bright political future.'
JD(S) second-in-command and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is contesting as the NDA candidate this time from Mandya, which is considered as his party’s fortress.
Sumalatha had won the 2019 Assembly election defeating former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda's grandson and Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
ನನ್ನ ಸ್ವಾಭಿಮಾನಿ ಮಂಡ್ಯದ ಬಂಧುಗಳೆ,
— Sumalatha Ambareesh 🇮🇳 ಸುಮಲತಾ ಅಂಬರೀಶ್ (@sumalathaA) April 2, 2024
ಮಂಡ್ಯ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಕಳೆದ ಬಾರಿ ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ ಗೆಲುವು ಸಾಧಿಸಿದ ನಂತರ, ಈ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಮಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಚರ್ಚೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಲದ ಲೋಕಸಭೆ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯೂ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊರತಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಲ್ಲಟಕ್ಕೆ ಮಂಡ್ಯ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗಿದೆ.
ಚುನಾವಣೆಗೆ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸುವ… pic.twitter.com/65Wte90LWJ
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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.
