Folk Singer-Turned-Politician Defeats RJD Veteran Binod Mishra by Over 11,000 Votes in Historic Debut Victory
Published on: November 15, 2025
By: BTNI
Location: Patna, India
In a stunning debut that has captured the imagination of Bihar’s political landscape, 25-year-old folk singer Maithili Thakur secured a resounding victory in the Alinagar assembly constituency, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first-ever win in this Darbhanga district seat. Thakur, who turned 25 in June and holds a 12th-grade qualification, clinched 84,915 votes against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Binod Mishra’s 73,185, emerging victorious by a decisive margin of 11,730 votes.
The win, announced on November 14, 2025, amid the statewide counting of votes from the two-phased Bihar Assembly Elections (held on November 6 and 11), catapults Thakur into the record books as the youngest Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Bihar’s history.
The constituency, traditionally an RJD stronghold with a significant Muslim population and a history of tight contests—RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui won it in 2010 and 2015, while Vikassheel Insaan Party’s Mishri Lal Yadav edged out Mishra by just 3,101 votes in 2020—saw Thakur shatter expectations through a blend of cultural appeal and youth-centric campaigning.
Early trends throughout the day showed Thakur maintaining a commanding lead, starting with a slim 1,826-vote edge after the first round and ballooning to over 22,000 by mid-morning, before solidifying in the final tally across 27 rounds.
Celebrating her triumph, the elated winner broke into a traditional “badhai geet” (congratulatory song) and dedicated a special rendition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, vowing to rename Alinagar as “Sitanagar” after the mythical birthplace of Sita from the Ramayana, introduce Mithila painting in school curricula, and prioritize education and employment for girls and youth.
“This feels like a dream come true. The people of Alinagar have placed immense trust in me, and I never doubted the result because I fought with full dedication,” Thakur told reporters post-victory, her voice steady despite the adrenaline. “In my first term, I’ll work tirelessly for development, especially empowering the youth and women who backed me so strongly.”
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Her entry into politics just months ago, after joining the BJP, leveraged her fame as a cultural icon—known for viral Maithili folk renditions—to energize the party’s youth outreach in north Bihar, where caste dynamics often dominate.
Mishra, a 63-year-old RJD heavyweight and former BJP member who switched camps after a 2019 criminal conviction, conceded defeat gracefully but highlighted the constituency’s evolving voter priorities. “The youth wave and cultural connect swayed the battle, but we’ll regroup for the future,” he remarked, trailing consistently as postal ballots and early rounds favored Thakur.
This upset in Alinagar is part of a broader NDA sweep in the 243-seat Bihar assembly, where the coalition—comprising BJP (leading/winning 85 seats) and JD(U) (77 seats)—crossed the majority threshold of 122 early, surging toward 200 seats in a mandate hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a rejection of “jungle raj” and an endorsement of development.
The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, including Congress, managed leads in only about 26 seats, with leader Tejashwi Yadav holding Raghopur. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi termed the results “surprising” and alleged an “unfair onset” to the polls, though the Election Commission praised the process as a “model election” with record turnout and zero repolls.
Thakur’s victory underscores a generational shift in Bihar politics, where the average candidate age hovers around 51, blending artistry with activism to challenge entrenched narratives. As she prepares to take oath, eyes are on how this fresh voice will navigate the assembly’s corridors, potentially inspiring more young entrants into the fray.
