Bihar election: Singer-turned-politician Maithili Thakur wins from Alinagar

Singer-turned-politician Maithili Thakur, 25, has emerged as the youngest MLA in Bihar in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, Thakur won the Alinagar constituency, defeating Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) heavyweight Binod Mishra by over 11,000 votes.

Her victory also marks a historic first for the BJP in Alinagar, a constituency in Darbhanga with a significant Muslim population and long considered outside the party’s reach.

Previously, Bihar’s youngest MLA was Tauseef Alam, an independent candidate who won from the same seat at age 26 in 2005, followed by the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, who was elected from Raghopur at 26 in 2015.

Hailing from Benipatti in the neighbouring Madhubani district, Thakur is trained in Indian classical and devotional music. She first gained national prominence through TV shows such as Rising Star, and later for her folk and Sufi-influenced performances rendered in over a dozen languages.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has returned to power in Bihar with a strong mandate. According to the Election Commission, the alliance secured a three-fourth majority, winning 202 out of 243 seats — BJP 89, JD(U) 85, LJP (RV) 19, HAM(S) 5 and RLM 4. The Mahagathbandhan, facing a near-complete collapse, managed to win only 35 seats (RJD 25, INC 6, CPI(ML)(L) 2, CPI(M) 1, IIP 1), while the AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi won five seats.