Maithili Thakur is the BJP candidate for Alinagar.
Credit: X/@maithilithakur
Folk singer-turned politician Maithili Thakur became the youngest leader to be elected to the Bihar Assembly after beating RJD heavyweight Binod Mishra from the Alinagar constituency by over 12,000 votes.
Maithili, who turned 25 years in June, joined the BJP a few months before the assembly election. Her win also marked the first time the saffron party clinched the Alinagar seat in Darbhanga, which has a significant Muslim population.
Previously, Bihar's youngest MLA was independent candidate 26-year-old Tauseef Alam in 2005, followed by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav who was elected from Raghopur at 26 years in 2015.
Who is Maithili Thakur?
Born in Madhubani on July 25, 2000, her family relocated to Najafgarh in Delhi where they faced financial problems as her father lost his job.
A classical singer himself, her father turned to music to sustain the family. He also served as Maithili's mentor and teacher.
Along with her two brothers, Maithili forms a musical trio that honours India’s folk traditions. She focuses on Indian classical and Maithili folk music.
Maithili, rose to fame steadily after first being rejected by well-known reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs and Indian Idol Junior.
However, in 2017, she gained recognition as the first runner-up of Rising Star as a student.
Maithili became a social media sensation when she started sharing her performances on Facebook and YouTube even before digital creators became popular. she leads a large online audience and performs worldwide.
Maithili was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2021, a prestigious recognition for young artists in India.
All of her family was involved in her political campaign. Her brothers, Rishav Thakur and Ayachi Thakur, accompanied her in singing folk songs.
Their maternal uncles, Nand Kishore Jha and Sumit Jha, were also coordinating logistics.
She said she would introduce Mithila painting as an extra-curricular activity in school, rename Alinagar as Sitanagar, do something better for education, especially for girl children, and employment for jobless youth, if elected.