Delhi Confidential Ready For Race

WITH THE high-stakes Bankipur bypoll in Bihar just two weeks away, the Congress state unit is still unsure if the party will field a candidate on the seat – also being contested by Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor. The RJD, a Congress ally, has already fielded Rekha Kumari on the seat to take on BJP’s Neeraj K Sinha, the party’s new candidate after its first nominee, Abhishek Kumar, withdrew his nomination on Friday citing “family reasons”. The Congress, meanwhile, is still considering whether to field a candidate or not. The state unit has sent a report on this matter to the party high command in Delhi and is awaiting a decision as the last day for filing nominations, July 13, approaches. Musical Bond A MUSICAL performance by popular Punjabi singer-actor and former Congress MP from Faridkot Mohd Sadiq became the highlight of what insiders said was an attempt at “dinner diplomacy” among some of the state’s tallest Congress leaders on Thursday. Sadiq performed a rendition of one of his most famous songs, ‘Meri Aisi Jhanjar Chhanke’, at the dinner attended by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Bajwa and state in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. Sadiq’s tunes triggered rhythmic clapping as all in attendance joined in amid the party’s bid to iron out alleged internal differences between Warring and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi in the poll-bound state.