Delhi Confidential: Party Praise

FOR THE first time, the Samajwadi Party has given credit for a poll win to the “popularity” of someone other than party chief Akhilesh Yadav. In the latest edition of the Samajwadi Bulletin – released on Tuesday – the party credited its victory in the Karhal Assembly bypoll to its Mainpuri MP and Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav. A report in the party mouthpiece said Dimple set an example of “political maturity” in the Karhal bypoll, took command of the party’s campaign, camped in the constituency, and her popularity and special strategic skills defeated the “tactics of BJP government”. Akhilesh’s nephew Tej Pratap Yadav last month won the bypoll from Karhal, which falls under Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

Job Alert

WITH THE report of the High-Level Committee, led by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan, recommending reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) after the NEET-UG paper leak, the Education Ministry has set up a monitoring committee to implement the suggestions. As a first step, the government has advertised permanent positions to reduce the agency’s reliance on contractual staff. However, the NTA remains without a full-time head, functioning under acting chief Pradeep Kumar Joshi for six months since the previous chairperson’s exit. The buzz in Shastri Bhawan is that the government may soon appoint a permanent NTA head and a new Higher Education Secretary, a post vacant since K Sanjay Murthy became the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.