Alinagar: Maithili Thakur, a well-known folk singer who entered politics only months before the election, has won the Alinagar constituency in Darbhanga, becoming the youngest MLA in Bihar at just 25. She defeated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Binod Mishra by over 12,000 votes, marking a significant breakthrough for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured the seat for the first time.

Thakur, who turned 25 in June, joined the BJP earlier this year. Her victory is notable not only for her age but also because Alinagar, which has a significant Muslim population, had never been won by the BJP before.

Before her win, the youngest MLA in the state was Tauseef Alam, who was elected as an independent candidate at 26 in 2005. In 2015, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also entered the Assembly at the same age.

Born in Madhubani on July 25, 2000, Thakur grew up in Delhi’s Najafgarh after her family relocated due to financial difficulties. Her father, a classical singer who lost his job, turned fully to music to sustain the family and went on to train her. Along with her brothers, Rishav and Ayachi, she became part of a musical trio known for promoting Indian classical and Maithili folk music.

Thakur rose to prominence after becoming the first runner-up on the reality show Rising Star in 2017. Earlier, she had been rejected by shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs and Indian Idol Junior. Her performances on Facebook and YouTube helped her gather a large online following long before social media creators became mainstream. In 2021, she was honoured with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi for contributions to the arts.

Her entire family actively participated in her election campaign. Her brothers performed folk songs at rallies, while her maternal uncles Nand Kishore Jha and Sumit Jha oversaw campaign coordination and logistics.

During the campaign, Thakur said she intended to promote Mithila paintings as part of school activities, improve educational opportunities for girls, increase employment avenues for young people, and propose renaming Alinagar as Sitanagar.