In Alinagar Assembly constituency, Maithili Thakur looks likely to become the youngest Bihar MLA at just 25 years of age. However, her journey to fame began long before politics, when she was only six years old. Maithili was born into a musical family, and was trained by her grandfather and father in Maithili folk music, Hindustani classical music, as well as harmonium and tabla. Having recognized her exceptional talent early on, her father moved the family to Dwarka in Delhi, where, at the age of 10, Maithili began performing at Jagrans and various musical events.
At the age of 11, she appeared on the show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs. When she turned 15, she was competing on Sony TV’s Indian Idol Junior. A year later, when she was 16, she won the “I Genius Young Singing Star” competition. She later participated in Rising Star, finishing second by just two votes.
Its popularity has skyrocketed with the advent of social media. Maithili’s music videos went viral on Facebook and YouTube, helping her build a dedicated digital fanbase. She performed alongside her brothers and was invited to many national and international events. Hailing from Madhubani district of Bihar, Maithili and her siblings were appointed brand ambassadors for Madhubani by the Election Commission in 2019.
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Her association with the government deepened when she was awarded the Atal Mithila Samman by the Government of India. In 2021, she was honored with the Lokmat Sur Jyotsna National Music Award, presented by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur.
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Her fame grew further when she began performing Tulsidas’s revered Ramcharitmanas with her brothers Rishav and Ayashi, as well as the Maithili folk songs dedicated to Lord Rama and Sita. She is also credited with popularizing Madhubani art by incorporating its themes and motifs into her performances.
Now, at 25, Maithili has entered the world of politics. On October 14, she formally joined the BJP and secured a ticket from Alinagar Assembly constituency. As of 3 p.m., she has more than 51,000 votes and is comfortably leading.
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Speaking to ANI, she said, “This feels like a dream. People have put a lot of trust in me. This will be my first term as an MLA, and I will do my best for the constituency. I will serve my people as their daughter. Right now, my focus is only on Alinagar and how I can work for them.”
Maithili is contesting against RJD’s Binod Mishra and Jan Suraj Party’s Biplao Kumar Chaudhary. If she wins, she will become the youngest MP ever elected to the Bihar Assembly.
Her win will also be the BJP’s first in Alinagar, a Darbhanga seat that has a large Muslim population. Among her key promises are introducing Mithila painting as an extra-curricular activity in schools, renaming Alinagar to Sitanagar, and promoting girl child education.
Alinagar has a mix of upper caste Brahmin population, a large Muslim population, Yadavs, and extremely backward castes such as Mallahs and Paswans. The seat has remained an MGB stronghold since 2008, with RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui winning in 2010 and 2015, and VIP’s Mishri Lal Yadav winning in 2020.
(Tags for translation)Maithili Thakur
