Open war in Congress over Delhi debacle

New Delhi, Feb 12: An open war today broke out in the Congress over its whitewash in the Delhi elections with senior leader Sheila Dikshit attacking Chief Ministerial candidate Ajay Maken and the party virtually asking her to shut up.

Knives were out in the party over the debacle with Congress in charge of the party affairs in Delhi P C Chacko and DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely strongly coming out backing the beleaguered Maken, who was the party's chief ministerial face.

"I just pity him. Ajay Maken was not the way to put the right focus. He thought he would do all by himself. He did not involve anyone else. Quite obviously his style did not help the Congress party," 76-year-old Dikshit said, in a no-holds- barred attack on her younger rival in the party.

P C Chacko hit back at Dikshit saying that it was better for Dikshit to keep silence and said the party does not endorse her views.

Maken's supporter and DPCC Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said there was no benefit of giving advice after the elections.

Dikshit appeared to fault the last-minute decision to bring in Maken saying "change was made in the last minute. Ajay Maken coming in and Arvinder Singh Lovely not contesting."

"Maken could not enthuse the party. He failed to highlight the achievements of the Congress governments in the 15 years till 2013. It was not my achievement. It was Congress' achievement. They should have taken my name (during the campaign). Had they done it, the party would have done better," she told media persons.

The former Chief Minister said she would soon go to party Chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss about the ways to revive Congress in Delhi saying it was currently in "very bad shape" and that she was pained to see it losing its support base so dramatically.

Dikshit also indicated her willingness to take the responsibility to lead the party's revival. "It is up to the party high-command to take a decision on the issue," she said.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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