A surprise figure has emerged in the Bihar election arena, 25-year-old Maithili Thakur, who on Friday (November 14, 2025) opened up a massive lead of 38,832 votes over RJD veteran Binod Mishra, according to trends available at 1.30 pm. If the margin holds, she is set to become the youngest member of the Bihar Assembly.
Thakur shares the spotlight with a handful of other 25-year-olds contesting this year, Sonu Kumar from Goh, Naveen Kumar and Amrita Soni from Batnaha, Kundan Kumar in Sheikhpura, Shambhu Babu from Supaul and Rajkumar Sada in Simri Bakhtiarpur. Meanwhile, the NDA as a whole has widened its lead, pulling ahead in 188 seats and leaving the Mahagathbandhan trailing in most regions.
Thakur, who hails from Benipatti in Madhubani district, is known across the country for her classical and folk music performances. She first came to prominence through television appearances on shows such as Rising Star, and later built a strong following by blending Maithili and Sufi folk traditions in multiple languages.
A victory for Thakur would be significant for another reason: the BJP has never won Alinagar. The constituency, which falls under Darbhanga, has a sizeable Muslim population along with Brahmins, Yadavs and several Extremely Backward Class groups. Since 2008, the seat has largely stayed with the Mahagathbandhan Abdul Bari Siddiqui of the RJD won twice, in 2010 and 2015, while Mishri Lal Yadav of the VIP claimed it in 2020. This time, the BJP dropped its sitting MLA Binod Mishra after he was handed a two-year jail term in a 2019 case by the MP-MLA court in Darbhanga. Mishra later quit the party.
On the campaign trail, Thakur outlined her priorities for Alinagar, introducing Mithila painting in school activities, renaming the constituency as Sitanagar, improving schooling for girls and expanding job opportunities for young people. If the trends convert into a final win, she will carry both cultural symbolism and political novelty into the Assembly, a young folk artiste turning first-time legislator in a constituency known for its tough caste arithmetic.
By 1.30 pm, the NDA had surged past the 200-seat mark in the ongoing count, while the Mahagathbandhan was trailing far behind with leads in only around 40 constituencies.
