Overview

• Filing of nominations for the first-phase constituencies has begun, with the Election Commission warning parties against AI-driven deepfakes and vowing strict Model Code enforcement.
• BJP leader Nityanand Rai and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan called their seat-sharing talks positive, with Paswan lowering his ask to around 35 seats as the BJP holds near 25 and disputes persist over Govindganj, Matihani and Sikandara.
• Party sources indicate the BJP has shortlisted nominees and plans a Central Election Committee meeting this weekend, with a joint NDA seat-sharing announcement considered likely early next week.
• The RJD and Congress have not closed their deal, with differences concentrated on Baisi, Bahadurganj, Raniganj, Kahalgaon and Saharsa.
• Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party released its first list of 51 candidates, moving ahead of larger alliances still finalising their slates.