New Delhi: The Congress Saturday fielded actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha as its Lok Sabha poll candidate from the Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar, hours after he joined the party quitting the BJP.

The 72-year-old Sinha, the incumbent MP from the seat, will face senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The Congress also announced that former Himachal Pradesh minister Ramlal Thakur will contest from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat in the state against sitting BJP MP Anurag Thakur.

In Punjab, the party fielded Jasbir Singh Gill Dimpa from Khadoor Sahib, former IAS officer Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib (reserve), and folk singer Mohammed Sadique from the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat.

With the latest list of five candidates, a total of 377 names have been announced by the party for the Lok Sabha elections.

The names were announced after party leaders from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar met Congress president Rahul Gandhi earlier during the day.

Among those present during the meeting were: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, AICC secretary and the party's Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore and state CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri.

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Hyderabad: A group allegedly linked to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) disrupted a theatre performance at the University of Hyderabad on Sunday evening. The group is also accused of vandalising property and assaulting students.

Slogans such as “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro…” were raised during the incident, according to eyewitnesses.

According to the Observer Post, the disruption happened as Mahesh Elkunchwar's play Holi was being staged at the Department of Theatre Arts' GB Hall. The group reportedly objected to certain portions of the play, claiming that some phrases hurt religious sentiments.

According to accounts from those present, the situation escalated when individuals forced their way into the venue after damaging fixtures and breaking glass panels outside the auditorium. Students attempting to intervene were reportedly assaulted, and a guest faculty member was allegedly threatened.

Several students sustained injuries and were provided initial treatment at the campus health centre before being shifted to a nearby hospital.

Police later arrived at the scene, brought the situation under control, and escorted those inside the hall to safety. Witnesses said tensions remained high, with some members of the group continuing to raise slogans during the evacuation.