Overview

• Investigators in Rajasthan reported blast-like evidence in the 14 October Jaisalmer–Jodhpur bus fire, with DNA sampling and an FSL examination underway after officials said about 20 passengers died and 16 suffered severe burns.
• Early accounts point to a converted AC sleeper with fibreglass interiors, blocked exits and rapid fire spread, as police also examine possible fireworks or electrical causes and response delays highlighted by witnesses.
• The BJP inducted folk singer Maithili Thakur and named her as its Alinagar candidate in Bihar, a constituency the NDA narrowly won in 2020 and where the previous MLA lost membership after a conviction.
• RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav filed his nomination from Raghopur, facing BJP’s Satish Yadav and Jan Suraj’s Chanchal Singh, as Prashant Kishor urged voters to back the best candidates and claimed Jan Suraj could perform either very modestly or strongly.
• Paisalo Digital privately placed 700 commercial papers to raise ₹33.73 crore at an 8.50% yield maturing 25 March 2026 with IDBI as IPA, Elitecon International hit five straight 5% upper circuits after disclosing two agro acquisitions, Indian Railways began a Jaipur pilot for blankets in sanitized covers, and Uttar Pradesh reported thousands of festival-time food inspections, large seizures and public complaint hotlines.