Thursday, June 3, 2010

The die is cast, punters bet big bucks on race to KMC

Debashis Konar & Subhro Maitra | TNN



Kolkata/Malda: Speculation about the outcome of the civic poll is big business for Burrabazar bookies, who are minting money ahead of Wednesday’s counting. And, with exit polls favouring Trinamool Congress in the city, most are betting in favour of the Didi brigade.
Most gamblers predict that Trinamool will bag 79-plus KMC wards. If the results prove them right, they stand to earn 40 paise on every rupee invested. Some other bookies have given Trinamool 91 KMC wards — way ahead of the exit poll figures. If they end up smarter than the psephologists, they would earn a whopping Rs 2.60 on every rupee spent.
Other bets centre around probable mayors if Trinamool wins, with some giving Javed Khan the city’s first citizenship while others gun for Sobhan Chatterjee. Should Khan replace Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, those who’ve bet on him will earn 40 paise for every rupee invested, while who’ve put their money for Chatterjee will win only 20 paise on every rupee spent.
The bookies are also betting on crucial seats. As a former CPM MP, Sudhangshu Sil has a better chance of winning against Trinamool’s Tapas Ray. It’s 20 paisa for every rupee spent on Sil, while Ray would get 25 paise. Even Mala Ray of Congress has a better chance than Trinamool’s Anup Chatterjee, as the bookies are giving a return of 20 paisa for Ray and 30 paisa for Chatterjee against a Re-1 investment.
Bookmakers are also guessing on the number of seats that CPM will bag. It’s clear that they are not favourites. Most give Left Front below 40 seats. If the LF wins KMC, the gain will be a spectacular Rs 4.50 against Re 1. Speculations are also on whether CPM can control any one of the two boroughs in Jadavpur, or if the party would be totally routed in Behala. The number of seats Congress and BJP are going to win is also being speculated.
Betting fever has also reached Malda. In Nawabgunj, which has a tradition of betting, some are making a fortune out of the probable results of Old Malda Municipality. It may be recalled that in Old Malda, the LF board is facing a challenge from Congress. LF won this Congress bastion in 2005 for the first time, winning 12 of the 18 seats. “Unlike traditional betting, you often get 100% returns in most cases. If you place Rs 500 in favour of CPM candidates, you’ll get Rs 1000 if he wins,” said a bookmaker. Betting is rampant in wards 9 and 14, where the margin is expected to be less than 200 votes. In ward 14, CPM councillor Swadhin Ghosh, who is contesting against Congress, conceded that betting is on.“Most gamblers are putting money in my favour,” Ghosh said.
CPM MLA Khagen Murmu said: “I have heard that betting is going on. Earlier, there was no one to place money on CPM, but the scenario has now changed.” Similar bets are on in favour of RSP candidate Tripti Pandey and her Congress rival Kartik Ghosh in Ward 9 as well.
Money is also being placed on the board as a whole. “You’ll get double your money if your party gains control of the municipality,” said a bookie. The bet amounts can go as high as Rs 50,000. Even children are involved, with stakes of Rs 10-Rs 20.
Punters said that the betting has turned hi-tech in Malda, even as computers and mobiles are being used to keep track of investors. There is even a home delivery service for the winning amounts, it was learned!....published in TOI on 2.6.10

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