Tag: race

Biden faces a Chicago mayoral race pickle

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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) supported Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in last week’s election but hasn’t announced anything about the April 4 runoff. Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Dick Durbin haven’t weighed in on the race at all.
Some in the party say neither option is particularly compelling.
“Most Democrats look at the two choices and in an extreme sense they are choices between a Republican and a socialist,” said Pete Giangreco, a Democratic strategist and veteran of Illinois politics. ”There’s not a Joe Biden mainstream Democrat running for mayor of Chicago.”
The race to oust Lightfoot focused almost entirely on the city’s crime. And out of a field of nine candidates, Chicagoans last week picked Paul Vallas, a police union-backed former Chicago Public Schools executive, and Brandon Johnson, a progressive Cook County commissioner who has praised the “defund the police” movement.
Vallas has also been dogged by his past statements opposing abortion rights and his basic credentials of declaring himself a Democrat while some voters are turned off by the support Johnson is getting from the Chicago Teachers Union.
“Paul Vallas will say he’s a lifelong Democrat and Brandon Johnson will say the same thing. But that’s not what their records would show,” Giangreco added, comparing the dilemma confronting politicians to one facing many Chicago voters who don’t yet identify with either option. “There’s nobody who meets their politics who made the runoff.”
Neither Duckworth nor Durbin’s teams would say who or even if their bosses will endorse. Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, who represents a portion of Chicago, said he’s “not sure” who he’ll support. And Pritzker, like the others, wants to see the race further play out.
For Biden, Chicago’s mayoral contest could influence his own political future, beyond setting a message about the party’s larger approach to policing and big-city crime. Chicago is a finalist for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Both Vallas and Johnson have said they would support the convention in Chicago. But as Biden nears a decision to run for reelection, he’ll have to factor how their records might prod divisions in the party and how easily Republicans can weaponize the politics.

There was a chance the president might’ve endorsed in the mayor’s race in Chicago, where Biden’s blessing would have been a bigger coup than in Los Angeles given it’s home to former President Barack Obama. The president’s advisers had been in contact with Lightfoot’s campaign as well as others leading up to last week’s election and her team specifically asked for his endorsement, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
Vallas has yet to face the kind of sustained attacks on his ideology that Bass’ opponent in the race — wealthy developer Caruso, a former longtime Republican — did.
And even the appearance of Biden wading in could help.
Johnson traveled to Selma, Ala., over the weekend for an event commemorating “Bloody Sunday.” Johnson didn’t secure an endorsement, but he had a “brief discussion,” according to a person close to the campaign. Johnson was introduced to him by Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.).
A few national figures are stepping up. Reps. Jim Clyburn, who’s fundraising for Johnson, and Jan Schakowsky are expected to endorse Johnson, the person knowledgeable about the campaign said.
As the candidates prepare for their first debate Wednesday, Biden himself is taking steps to appear stronger on crime.
He has already called for tens of billions of dollars to bolster law enforcement and crime prevention and is expected to seek more in his budget blueprint this week. Last week, Biden said he would not veto a GOP-backed bill to repeal changes local Washington, D.C., lawmakers approved to lower certain criminal penalties.
Congressional Republicans need to “commit here and now to joining with President Biden — not obstructing him — in fighting the rising crime rate he inherited,” Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
“They should forcefully condemn their colleagues who are calling for defunding the FBI and the ATF,” Bates said. “And they need to get with the program on gun crime by finally dropping their opposition to an assault weapons ban. … This isn’t a game, it’s life and death.”
In Chicago, Vallas’ push for stronger policing resonated with voters even as he took criticism in the deep-blue city for his ties to conservative-leaning outfits like Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police. He wants to see hundreds more police officers on the street, a view Lightfoot and other candidates swung to ahead of the first round of the election.
“Defund is an issue,” said Ron Holmes, a political strategist in Illinois who has worked on several statewide campaigns. “But palling around with certain members of the FOP is an issue too, and therein lies the problem: They are both going to paint each other as extremists. So for those of us that didn’t vote for either during the first round, it’s critical that we have a substantive campaign to see who will govern on behalf of the majority of Chicagoans.”
Johnson, who is Black, has said his policy platform does not support defunding the police and instead calls for training and promoting 200 detectives. But his previous comments — including that “defund” isn’t just “a slogan. It’s an actual real political goal” — has spooked some national figures.
“They’re going to have to articulate and direct their message,” Pritzker said of Johnson and Vallas last week. “What is their primary message? And [is it] going to be, you know, focused on what are they going to do about education? What are they going to do about health care? What are they going to do about public safety? What are they going to do about creating jobs? Those are all important things that I don’t think have been fully fleshed out by either one of those candidates.”
Outside of the debate about public safety, Vallas’ team has sought to highlight past support he’s earned from Democratic stalwart organizations, including groups that advocate for abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
Aides to Vallas, who is white, argue that his close associations and prior work with well-known Chicago Democrats will diffuse concerns about his political affiliation. And endorsements like the one he got last week from former Secretary of State Jesse White — who is Black, and long considered the most popular Democrat in Illinois — will do more to help him win than touting national figures, Biden included.
“What we are focused on is the local support that’s growing everyday and it’s pretty diverse across the city,” said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Vallas.
Trippi added, the “defund” charges against Johnson should repel Democrats from closing ranks around him. “You do have someone who has talked about defunding and I just don’t know why any national people would get into that debate,” he said.
Jackson, who has also endorsed Johnson, acknowledged that Johnson needed to find a good answer to accusations from the right.
“He’ll have to make it clear, the spirit of it versus the actual words,” Jackson said in an interview. “Everyone knows we need safer streets. The spirit of it is to put more money into academic programs. In the short-term, we need to make sure we’re solving crimes. He stands for that.”
There are issues that extend beyond crime and personal loyalty, and race is playing out in the contest a well. And now, Vallas and Johnson are both trying to attract voters and endorsements from the establishment Black wards that supported Lightfoot.
Illinois Reps. Danny Davis and Delia Ramirez also have endorsed Johnson, but Trippi argued that the former secretary of state’s backing is “far more important than any national figure.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 9, 2023
Is a Democrat really the favorite in the Kentucky governor race?

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“I think he’s the favorite,” said Scott Jennings, a prominent Republican consultant in Kentucky. “Do I think he can be beaten? Yeah, I do. But I think it’s going to be expensive, and it’s going to take a while.”
Beshear will have all the advantages generally granted to incumbent governors: the power of the bully pulpit, sky high name ID and approval, and a deep warchest — as of the end of last year, he had over $4.7 million in the bank. A late January survey from Mason-Dixon Polling found that 61 percent of voters in the state approved of the job he was doing, and he had notable leads over potential challengers.
Beshear has hosted regular “Team Kentucky” updates and has been ever-present for Kentuckians, who during his tenure in office have navigated the coronavirus pandemic and a string of natural disasters.
And Democrats in the state point to a boom of economic growth during his tenure in office. A page on Beshear’s official website brags about delivering “the highest and second-highest revenue surpluses in the history of Kentucky, thanks to strong fiscal management and a hot, record-breaking economy,” which is anticipated to be a major theme in his campaign.
Beshear is trying to follow the playbook of a handful of other recent successful Democratic governors in red states, who were able to secure reelection by casting themselves as competent, good-government-minded bureaucrats focused on fixing kitchen-table problems. They also look to avoid national politics — Beshear said in an interview with the Associated Press in December that President Joe Biden likely wouldn’t be appearing on the trail with him — and hot-button culture war issues.
“I think the through line there is you have a popular Democratic governor who’s managed the economy well, and has the economy roaring. Those are difficult to beat,” said Eric Hyers, who is managing Beshear’s campaign. Hyers pointed to the success of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly — who won reelection last year — and former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who won in 2012 and 2016 and whose campaign he previously ran.
Republicans are expected to spend heavily to try to bring Beshear back to earth. But first the party must land on a nominee, with a major pileup of candidates vying in a May 16 primary for the right to face Beshear.

Daniel Cameron has been widely viewed as a rising star in the state and nationally and is generally viewed as the early frontrunner to win the Republican nomination.
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Republican field is taking shape
There are a dozen Republicans running, but many in the state generally think three candidates have a shot at the nomination: state Attorney General Daniel Cameron; Ryan Quarles, the state agricultural commissioner; and Kelly Craft, who was Trump’s second (and final) United Nations ambassador.

A protégé of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Cameron first won statewide office in 2019, succeeding Beshear as attorney general. He has been widely viewed as a rising star in the state and nationally and is generally viewed as the early frontrunner to win the Republican nomination.
He also scored an early endorsement from Trump in the contest, who got behind his bid last summer. No other potential 2024 hopeful has weighed in to the primary yet, and it is unclear if they would do so before the general election, which could potentially turn the race into a messy proxy battle.
Quarles is a former state lawmaker who has been serving as the state’s agricultural commissioner since 2016. His campaign launched with a long list of local endorsees in the counties, and would likely rely on that bench of support to try to carve a path to the nomination.
Craft, a longtime GOP activist and donor who is married to the coal billionaire Joe Craft, is the biggest x-factor in the race. Despite her role in the Trump administration, she was almost entirely unknown across Kentucky before she launched her run. To solve that, she has barraged Kentucky airwaves with advertising — already spending at least $1.4 million, according to data from the advertising tracking firm AdImpact, with hundreds of thousands more already booked and almost assuredly much more on the way.
“Two months ago nobody knew who we were, and we were able to go on TV” and change that, said Kristin Davison, a senior adviser to the Craft campaign.
That Mason-Dixon poll from January showed Cameron with a yawning lead in the GOP contest. He was at 39 percent, to 13 percent for Craft, 8 percent for Quarles and 5 percent for state Auditor Mike Harmon, with the rest of the field not breaking two percent. Republicans in the state say the race has likely shifted since then, given that Craft has had the airwaves to herself over the last month, and still has room to move as the primary heats up.
Some of Craft’s ads have looked to nationalize the race. Her most recent ad was about standing up to China and made a passing mention to the spy balloon that captivated the country earlier this year, while the one before that had Craft saying “Joe Biden and Andy Beshear are ignoring the border crisis” while standing at the country’s Southern border.
The Republican Governors Association plans on continuing its policy of neutrality in primaries and does not intend to get involved in the race.
But other outside groups are. On Monday, an organization called Commonwealth PAC — which identified itself in state paperwork as being pro-Craft — launched new ads, the first major outside spending of the race. The spots attack Cameron as “nice, but he’s no strong Kentucky conservative,” using a stretched metaphor of a grizzly bear.
A handful of the candidates met for the first debate of the primary on Tuesday. Cameron, Quarles, Harmon and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck met on stage for a debate hosted by the Jefferson County Republican Party and Spectrum News. Craft declined to participate in this debate, citing a travel conflict. But she has committed to participate in at least two future debates. A mid-April debate is planned with the four candidates who appeared on stage on Tuesday and Craft, moderated by Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones, who floated a 2020 Senate run — as a Democrat — before deciding against it.
But regardless of who emerges with the nomination, Republicans are feeling bullish about challenging Beshear despite his overall popularity in the state. Several pointed to the fact that Republicans passed Democrats in voter registration over last summer — the end of a years-long inevitability in the state as ancestral Democrats abandoned the party in everything but registration — as a strong sign for their prospects, and they argued that even center-right voters who personally like Beshear would come home to the GOP in November.
Part of the calculus, Republicans say, is that they don’t anticipate any of the three leading candidates for the nomination to be anywhere near as polarizing as Bevin.
The former governor, who teased a comeback bid before bailing on filing day, was a deeply unpopular governor during his tenure in office. He was a caustic proto-Trump in the state who relished lobbing bombs at any given opportunity.
“I think all three of our candidates would be well liked by Republicans and would be more than acceptable to the center-right independents, who obviously gravitated away from Bevin toward Beshear,” said Jennings, the GOP consultant.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 8, 2023
Nearly half of Chicago voters tapped a loser. Now they can sway the mayor’s race.

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Things aren’t any easier for Brandon Johnson, Vallas’ Black, left-leaning rival in the April 4 runoff, who won the second spot with 21 percent — and a radically different coalition to go with his perspective on crime, policing and education.
The Cook County commissioner’s best opening to pull in a large chunk of voters will be among the 17 percent who voted for Lightfoot. Yet that still leaves him scavenging in areas like moderate Latino-majority wards and even his home precinct.
“Race is one of the most definitive predictors in how an area votes in Chicago, like in many other areas,” said Frank Calabrese, an independent political consultant who has studied several campaigns in Illinois. “If Vallas is doing 30, 35, 40 percent in Black wards, that means he’s doing really well.”
How Vallas wins
Vallas didn’t even come close to 30 percent numbers in most Black-majority wards on Election Day. And although that was a contest divided among nine candidates, he typically landed third or fourth place in those areas — several points behind Johnson, and where Lightfoot did her best.
However, Vallas, who got the endorsement of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and ran a tough-on-crime campaign, did well with voters in areas that resoundingly rejected the incumbent mayor: white-majority wards on the city’s North and Southwest sides, where a mix of wealthy families and civil service workers like police officers or firefighters live.
The prime pockets of voters available to Vallas are those who went for Willie Wilson, a prominent Black conservative businessperson who also ran for mayor on a police-heavy platform. In the handful of majority-Black precincts Wilson captured, he got up to 42 percent of the vote, and came in second or third in many others — capturing voters unlikely to swing left to Johnson without a lot of convincing.
What may bridge Vallas’ shortfall with Black voters is the outpouring of support he’s winning from well-known Black Democratic political figures, including former Secretary of State Jesse White and several respected City Council members.
“It’s a Black man running against a white man when it comes down to Black wards,” Calabrese said of Johnson. “That being said, Black residents… care about crime and quality of life issues at the same level, if not more than other parts of the city. Vallas is going to have a resonating message.”

Latinos and Asian voters are big unknowns
Demographically, the city is split evenly among white, Black and Latino residents, but it doesn’t break down that way when it comes to who actually shows up to cast ballots.
Despite having a Latino candidate on the ballot in García, participation among Latino voters “was abysmal” last week, said Jaime Dominguez, a Northwestern professor who worked on a rare poll with BSP Research weighted toward measuring Black and Latino voters.
The demographic already does not vote in droves, he said, and it didn’t help that Garcia entered the race late and missed out on big union support, like Johnson’s backing from the Chicago Teachers Union. A large share of Latino voters were still undecided leading before Election Day last week.
Vallas can keep building off of the Latino votes he already won, Dominguez and Calabrese said. The frontrunner clinched several majority-Latino wards last week, and placed second in other moderate areas receptive to his law-and-order messaging.
“I’ll be honest with you — I think that some people think Vallas is a Latino last name,” Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said in an interview, laughing. As his team went door-to-door in majority-Latino communities, that comment came up “quite a lot.”
Then there are Asian American voters, who have a stronger stake in Chicago politics this cycle, after post-2020 redistricting led to Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods becoming a slightly majority Asian ward, which is also 20 percent Latino and 25 percent white. Vallas came away with 58 percent of the vote there, while Johnson and Garcia had about 13 percent each.
This shows the division among Asian communities on the issue of public safety, said Grace Pai, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Chicago. Progressives want non-police options to address a rise in general violence and anti-Asian attacks, while she said others want more law enforcement present to protect businesses and patrol. And both sides are vocal within the communities that comprise about 7 percent of the city.
Johnson had made more of a concerted effort than Vallas to reach out to Asian American surrogates during the campaign’s initial stages, she said.
What’s also unclear is how Johnson’s aspirations of decreasing police funding will ring with a broader set of voters, though he distanced himself from those remarks before last week’s election.
“Whether you’re Latino, Caucasian, African American — public safety is resonating,” Ald. Gil Villegas, who was endorsed by García and is heading to a runoff of his own, said in an interview. “If you’re not speaking about that… regardless of your ethnicity or your gender, people want to feel safe. Quality of life is a big issue.”
How Johnson wins
One analysis shows Vallas could pick up García’s Latino voters and Johnson could consolidate the Black vote — but low Hispanic voter turnout and incoming endorsements from Black and Latino leaders will blur the election picture.
Johnson won over Ramirez-Rosa’s ward on the Northwest Side, which is more than half Latino and has a significant white population, by a high margin — making the area more of an exception among the city’s Latinos.
The alderman endorsed Johnson and was confident about his ability to attract Latino voters in the runoffs. Ramirez-Rosa pointed to Johnson’s use of Spanish-language advertising, as well as recent wins from progressive Latinos, including himself and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who also endorsed Johnson.
Now, Johnson faces challenges in keeping up appeal with the progressives he won over while not turning off Latinos by going too far to the left, Dominguez said. Surrogates for either candidate will make a large difference during the runoff campaign process, and some believe Latino leaders — including García — will eventually back Johnson.
Johnson making the runoff shows the potential success of a candidate running on a nuanced public safety plan, said Patrice James, founding director of the Illinois Black Advocacy Initiative, recently founded to promote Black interests in the state.
Black voters are not only sophisticated, James said, but have “long memories” of Chicago’s lack of investment in their communities — such as former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s controversial shuttering of 50 schools in mostly Black neighborhoods. Vallas has his own history with school closures when he led the system in the 1990s.
“They remember disinvestment and the fallout of what it means when schools close in your neighborhood and how that impacts home values,” she said. “It’s no secret Johnson is about community. … I think that will resonate with a lot of voters.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated Frank Calabrese’s affiliations. He is an independent political consultant.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 7, 2023
JK Sports Council To Conduct Asia’s Longest Ultra Cycle Race

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council held a press conference on Tuesday to announce Asia’s first longest Ultra-Cycling Race, which will begin on March 1st, 2023.
Project Director Jeetendra Nayak, Joint Secretary Bashir Ahmad Bhat, and representatives from the J&K Sports Council presided over the press conference.
Speaking to the media, Nayak said that only 1000 km races had been staged in India so far, and he added that this longer race would provide all Indian ultra cyclists the chance to take part in an event of this caliber.
He disclosed that the cycle event has been designated as the Asian Ultra Cycling Championship and the World Ultra Cycling Championship by the World Ultra Cycling Association, USA.
The cutoff times for solo, team of 2, and team of four peddling are respectively 12 days, 10 days, and 8 days.
The officers gave a briefing on the 3651 km race, which will begin in Srinagar, J&K, and culminate in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, near the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula.
He said, “The route is the longest highway in India, NH44, and travels through 12 important Indian States, 3 important metropolises, and more than 20 important cities.
The Joint Secretary noted that all preparations had been completed, including teams for security and assistance, to ensure a safe and successful event.

According to him, each rider’s crew and support vehicles will be there to help them finish the race.
Dr. Amrit Samarth, Sahil Sachdeva, Sumer Bansal, Dhiraj Kalsait, Shubham Das, Mahesh Kini, Atul Kadu, Vikram Uniyal, Manish Saini, Indrajeet Vardhan, Geeta Rao, and Amoeba Ravindra Reddy are the riders for the Solo team.
The teams consist of the ADCA, Amravati Riders, Maha Cycling Team, and Maharashtra Police.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 28, 2023
Video. Putin has not yet announced his participation in the presidential race in 2024

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The post Video. Putin has not yet announced his participation in the presidential race in 2024 appeared first on Pledge Times.
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February 28, 2023
Kari Lake loses appeal in Arizona governor race challenge

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The appeals court wrote Lake’s appeal failed because the evidence supports the conclusion that “voters were able to cast their ballots, that votes were counted correctly, and that no other basis justifies setting aside the election results.”
Shortly after the ruling, Lake tweeted: “I told you we would take this case all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Buckle up, America!”
Lake, who lost to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republicans promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. While most of the other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not.
Lawyers for Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the state’s voters. The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion.
County officials say everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted since ballots affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at the elections department headquarters.
Lake’s attorneys also claim the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility, where a contractor scans mail ballots to prepare them for processing. They claim workers at the facility put their own mail ballots into the pile, rather than returning them through normal channels, and also that paperwork documenting the transfer of ballots was missing. The county disputes the claim.
Hobbs’ attorneys said Lake was trying to sow distrust in Arizona’s election results and offered no proof to back up her allegations of election misconduct.
Lake faced extremely long odds in her challenge, needing to prove not only that misconduct occurred, but also that it was intended to deny her victory and did in fact result in the wrong woman being declared the winner. In her appeal, her lawyers argued a trial court judge applied the wrong standard of proof in deciding the case.

Hobbs took office as governor on Jan. 2.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 17, 2023
Black leaders rally in Tallahassee against Florida’s denial of race studies course

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Tuesday’s rally was the latest chapter in a continuing saga over whether Florida will ultimately allow students to enroll in the College Board’s upcoming class on African American history.
The Florida Department of Education first raised public concerns about the course in January by rejecting a pilot version on the grounds that it “significantly lacks educational value” and violates the state’s “anti-woke” law. State officials later elaborated that the course denial was prompted by lessons that delve too far into political agendas, broaching topics such as queer studies and abolishing prisons.
Those topics, however, are not mandatory in the official framework of the African American history course that was released Feb. 1, a turn of events that led Democrats to criticize the College Board for allegedly caving to conservatives. Officials with the College Board, however, maintain that Florida, nor any other state, influenced the course that has been under development for nearly a decade and will debut in the 2024-2025 school year.
In wake of the tense back-and-forth between the organization and Florida, DeSantis this week suggested that the state could turn away from the College Board and seek a different vendor for students to take college-level courses. He hinted that the Florida House could propose legislation to tackle just that, but nothing has been filed as of Wednesday.
The Florida Department of Education, for its part, said Wednesday the College Board has yet to submit the African American Studies course to the state for its review.
“Florida students are going to have that ability (to earn college credit) — that is not going to be diminished,” DeSantis said Tuesday at an event in Jacksonville. “In fact, we’re going to continue to expand it. But it’s not clear to me that this particular operator is the one that’s going to need to be used in the future.”
Democratic lawmakers contend that the DeSantis administration picked the fight with the College Board to help the governor’s case as a potential 2024 GOP nominee.
“That’s the rub with this guy: if you dare to speak out against him, he will come after you,” state Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), the House Minority Leader, said at the rally Wednesday. “That is his MO, he wants us to be intimidated and afraid.”

Alongside Democrats, Black clergy and Sharpton called for voter registration efforts as a way to stand up to the DeSantis administration for allegedly whitewashing history by opposing the African American Studies course. They also criticized DeSantis’ efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs at colleges across the state.
Sharpton called DeSantis a “baby Trump” and claimed his messaging will bring together voters in opposition, citing the 2020 election when President Biden defeated former President Donald Trump.
“After Disney one day, after Blacks the next day,” Sharpton said Wednesday. “Just like a baby — give him a pacifier and let some grown folk run the state of Florida.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 16, 2023
India’s first Formula E world championship race thrills Hyderabad

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Hyderabad: The city of Nizams is hosting the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and passionate fans filled the grandstands as 22 drivers raced the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built – the GEN3 – on a street track constructed around the scenic Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad.
The ABB FIA Formula E World is the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception.
It is being organised in India for the first time with the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix, and understandably the event is arousing curiosity among commoners and celebrities.
The race has attracted a number of famous names including global cricket icon, Sachin Tendulkar, and the Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan said: “This was my first time attending a Formula E race and I am thrilled to have been part of this historic event. I have an affinity for fast cars and seeing these GEN3 cars racing on the street track was really exciting. The fact that this is the first sport certified as net zero carbon makes it even more appealing.”
Earlier in the day, Dhawan experienced a hot lap of the track in the Porsche Taycan Safety Car, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 260 km. Joining Shikhar was Deepak Chahar who said: “Everyone talks about carbon footprint and motorsport has a direct impact on it. With the way electric vehicles are get more popular, I think it’s a guilt-free and innovative version of the sport that will resonate with the audience and pave the way for the future.”
Fans attending the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix will get to see home favourites Mahindra Racing and Jaguar TCS Racing compete against two iconic motorsport names – NEOM McLaren Formula E and Maserati MSG Racing – who join the Formula E grid for the first time from this season.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 12, 2023
Bigg Boss 16: Shiv, Stan out from finale race? See current ranks

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Mumbai: Bigg Boss 16 is set to pull the curtains this weekend. With the finale just around the corner, the excitement and anticipation are at an all-time high, and fans are eager to see who will come out on top and grab the trophy this year. Voting to choose the winner has already commenced.
Bigg Boss 16 Voting Trends
And now, the latest voting trends shared by the popular social media page ‘The Khabri‘ has left the viewers shocked. In a surprising twist, we notice that two of the top contenders, MC Stan and Shiv Thakare, have been removed from the top 3 finalists. Though we can’t predict anything until the finale announcement, the current voting trend has sent shockwaves through the Bigg Boss 16 fanbase, as both Stan and Shiv were seen as strong contenders for the winner’s title.
Archana Gautam has grabbed the second position, while Shalin Bhanot is in third place. Priyanka Chahar Choudhary is ruling the list as always and she has a high chance of winning BB 16.
What’s your take on the above list? Comment below. Stay tuned to Siasat.com for more interesting scoops and updates on Bigg Boss 16 Finale.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 10, 2023
What is Formula E? All you need to know ahead of race in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad: Big-ticket motorsport action returns to India after a decade with Hyderabad becoming the 30th location to host a Formula E race.
Here is all you need to know about the all-electric racing series ahead of its first race in India on Saturday.
How different is it from Formula 1?
Formula E is an electric equivalent of the widely followed Formula 1 which was staged in India from 2011 to 2013. However, other than the Formula’ prefix, there is no similarity between the two FIA world championship status events.
The hybrid turbo-charged engines in Formula 1 are the epitome of performance while the battery-powered Formula E machines promote sustainability and a greener world.
Formula E is racing with a purpose but its cars have rapidly evolved over the last eight seasons and Gen3 technology has been introduced this season. As the series claims, Gen3 is the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient car in its history.
It has a top speed of 320 kmph, a 100kmph faster than the first generation cars used from 2014-2017. The Gen2 cars were run from 2018-2022 and they could touch speeds over 280kmph.
Since most of the Formula E races are held on the twisty street circuits around the world with not so long straights, top speeds are not reached often.
40 percent of energy produced while braking
In the first season, the batteries could only produce 200kw of power requiring the drivers to swap cars midway into the race. The introduction of the more powerful Gen2 cars meant the cars could last the full race distance.

The power output has been increased to 350kw in the Gen3 cars and with regeneration, it could go up to 600kw.
More than 40 percent of the energy will come from regenerative braking, an increase of 25 percent over Gen2 machines. The series has a new tyre supplier in
Hankook but drivers are not fully satisfied with its performance. The latest cars are also 60kg lighter than the previous generation and weigh at 840kg.
Homecoming for Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing, which has been with Formula E since its inception, will finally get to experience the thrill of a home race after eight seasons.
The other manufacturers in the championship include Nissan, Porsche, Tata owned Jaguar. McLaren and Maserati are the new entrants. After winning the title last season, Mercedes withdrew from the championship. Audi and BMW too are no longer part of the championship.
After a podium in the opening race of the season in Mexico, Mahindra will be hoping for an encore.
The racing format
To ensure minimum disruption in public life, most of the action is packed in one day with FP2, qualifying and race scheduled on Saturday.
Formula E introduced a new qualifying format last season calling it “Duels” with drivers taking on each other in quarterfinals, semifinals and finals after qualifying from group stage.
The winning driver of the final duel takes Pole Position, while the runner-up lines up second. The semi-finalists will line up third and fourth, the quarter-finalists between fifth and eighth – according to their laptimes.
The Hyderabad track
The 2.83km track set up in the heart of the city showcases the best of what Hyderabad has to offer. The cars will vroom around the Hussain Sagar Lake, NTR Gardens, NTR Park and Prasads’ Imax, covering the necklace road.
Hyderabad will be round four of the championship. Saudia Arabia hosted two races in January after the season opener in Mexico.
Formula E sees India as a huge market and hopes to have a long future in the country.
“It took us too long to get to India. We will be here until they want us,” Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo had said after marking the 100-day countdown to the race.
Renewable energy major Greenko is the local promoter of the race alongside Telangana government.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 10, 2023