Bihar’s youngest MLA Maithili Thakur contested in reality shows as a teenager, family forced to change home 17 times, Karan Johar and Yash Chopra offered her work

At 11, she appeared on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs. By 15, she was competing in Indian Idol Junior on Sony TV but was voted out in the early rounds. A year later, at 16, she won the ‘I Genius Young Singing Star’ competition. She later participated in Rising Star, finishing as runner-up by a margin of just two votes.

The early years were not easy on the family. They had to change residences 17 times, her mother Bharti had told The Indian Express in a 2018 interview. “We could only afford one-room houses and they were mostly attached to someone else’s house. My husband’s riyaaz and that of my children would disturb people and we’d have to leave. These kids were never naughty or troubled anyone but we kept moving so that they could practice peacefully,” she had said. In 2017, the family bought a home in Delhi’s Dwarka, and in 2020, moved into a bigger apartment — which they got soundproofed. She had also revealed how Maithili and her brothers got calls from Karan Johar and Yash Chopra’s offices.

Her popularity skyrocketed with the rise of social media. Maithili’s music videos on Facebook and YouTube went viral, helping her build a devoted digital fanbase — today, she has a 5 million subscribers on YouTube, 6 million followers on Instagram and over 14 million on Facebook . Performing alongside her brothers, she was invited to numerous national and international event.

Hailing from the Madhubani district of Bihar, Maithili and her brothers were appointed brand ambassadors for Madhubani by the Election Commission in 2019.

Her association with the government deepened when she received the Atal Mithila Samman from the Government of India. In 2021, she was honoured 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 the revered Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas with her brothers Rishav and Ayachi, as well as Maithili folk songs dedicated to Lord Rama and Sita. She is also credited with promoting Madhubani art by integrating its themes and motifs into her performances.

Now, at 25, Maithili has stepped into politics. On October 14, she formally joined the BJP and received a ticket from the Alinagar Assembly constituency. She extended her lead over RJD’s Binod Mishra by over 11,700 votes after the 25th round of counting. In 21 rounds, she garnered over 74,885 votes.

Speaking to ANI, she said, “This feels like a dream. People have placed so much 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 contested against RJD’s Binod Mishra and Jan Suraj Party’s Biplaw Kumar Choudhary. If she wins, she will become the youngest representative ever elected to the Bihar Assembly.

Her victory also marks BJP’s first win in Alinagar—a Darbhanga seat with a significant Muslim population. Among her key promises are introducing Mithila painting as an extracurricular activity in schools, renaming Alinagar as Sitanagar, and strengthening education for the girl child.

Alinagar comprises a mix of upper-caste Brahmin residents, a sizeable Muslim population, Yadavs, and extremely backward classes such as Mallahs and Paswans. The seat had remained an MGB stronghold since 2008, with RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui winning in 2010 and 2015, and VIP’s Mishri Lal Yadav securing victory in 2020.