Who is Maithili Thakur? Popular folk singer and BJP candidate leads in Alinagar
BJP candidate Maithili Thakur is leading from the Alinagar seat in the Bihar election.
BJP candidate Maithili Thakur is leading from the Alinagar seat in the Bihar election. The 25-year-old is ahead by 8,551 votes after 11 rounds of counting, according to latest data from the Election Commission of India.

The folk singer-turned-politician has emerged as a giant slayer in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, taking a comfortable lead over her opponent – Binod Mishra, an RJD heavyweight.
If this trend continues, Thakur could become the youngest MLA from Bihar. She turned 25 in July this year.
“Dream come true”
Speaking to ANI, Maithili Thakur said, "This is like a dream. People have a lot of expectations of me... This will be my first term as an MLA, and I will do my best for my constituency... I will serve my people as their daughter... I can only see Alinagar right now and how I can work them..."
Thakur had earlier promised to change the name of the constituency from Alinagar to Sitanagar if she won. She reiterated the promise to India Today this morning.
More about Maithili Thakur
Maithili Thakur is a popular singer who stepped into politics with the Bihar assembly elections as a BJP candidate.
Trained in Indian classical music as well as folk traditions, her repertoire includes Maithili, Bhojpuri, devotional bhajans, and filmi-style songs.
Maithili hails from Benipatti in the Madhubani district of Bihar. Her family later moved to Dwarka, New Delhi to support her musical training and growth.
Her father, Ramesh Thakur, is a music teacher, and she learned music from both him and her grandfather since she was very young.
In 2017, she gained broader recognition after participating in the reality singing show Rising Star India. Since then, she’s built a strong social media presence, especially on YouTube, where she posts classical and folk renditions.
ABOUT THE AUTHORSanya JainSanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience -- from viral videos to human interest copies that spark a conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and finding newsworthy angles in viral content. She writes about a wide range of topics, from business leaders and social issues to everyday people and internet trends. She enjoys speaking to content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs and turning their experiences and stories into engaging, relatable articles.Read More

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