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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that the decision to shift the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad was taken due to the larger stadium capacity in the latter city and was not connected to allegations regarding ticket distribution to MLAs.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the move was aimed at accommodating a larger number of spectators and ensuring wider public access to the marquee match. "The IPL final must have been shifted with the intention that there is a big stadium in Ahmedabad and more people will gather. There is nothing to do with the distribution of tickets to MLAs and the shifting of the final match. 50% will be reserved elsewhere," he said. His remarks come after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the final of IPL 2026, which was set to be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, will be hosted by Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31. However, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) firmly distanced itself from the ongoing probe into alleged black-market ticket sales linked to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) matches in the IPL, stating that it has no role in the distribution or sale of tickets to the public. When asked if there is a possibility of withdrawing the suspension of Muslim leaders in Davangere, he avoided direct comment, emphasising that the party had already made its decision. "I will not talk about this. The party has made this decision. If the CM's political secretary has to be dropped, the Chief Minister had spoken about it. The Chief Minister has his own information. The party office bearers have guided him. The party had given him some responsibilities. He did not handle it properly, so he was removed from that position. Jabbar resigned on his own. We have accepted that," he said. Responding to a question on Congress support to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu, he said the decision was taken to keep the BJP away from power and to strengthen secular forces in the state. "This decision was made so that the BJP should be kept away from power. Secular forces should be united. No matter how much pressure was exerted by AIADMK and BJP, TVK did not join hands. Our party has taken a decision for the sake of maintaining secular forces and in the interest of Tamil Nadu," he said. TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu in its debut Assembly election, has secured 108 seats in the 234-member House and is short of the majority mark. With party chief Vijay expected to vacate one of his seats, the effective strength of TVK stands at 107. The Congress has extended support with five MLAs, despite having contested earlier as part of the DMK-led alliance. On the visit of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to Delhi, Shivakumar said they would travel only when called by the party high command. "When they (high command) call us, we will go. It is not right to go without being called. We will call and when we call, we will go," he said. (ANI)
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