Who Is Maithili Thakur? Bihar Elections 2025 Puts The Spotlight On A Young Star Making Her Political Debut

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It's election season in Bihar, and Maithili Thakur, the voice many of us know from YouTube and TV, has moved from stages into the campaign trail. Her candidacy has jolted local conversations: a young cultural icon running for office isn't an everyday sight in Mithilanchal.

Photo Credit: Instagram@maithilithakur

Her entry into politics has created genuine curiosity. People want to understand who she is beyond those soulful performances. Already, early counting from the Alinagar constituency shows her leading by several thousand votes, making her a candidate to watch as the final results unfold.

Growing Up In A Home Built Around Music

Maithili was born in 2000 in Benipatti, Madhubani - the heart of Mithila. Music wasn't a hobby at home; it was the language the family lived in. Her father was a trained musician and teacher, and Maithili grew up learning Maithili folk, classical music, and devotional traditions alongside her two brothers. When her family moved to Delhi to support her training, it was a firm, determined bet on her potential. That bet paid off.

The Voice That Travelled Beyond Bihar

Most people first came across her on reality TV, especially during Rising Star in 2017. She stayed close to her own style instead of copying popular voices. That authenticity helped her connect with viewers.

As the years went by, she built a large audience online. Her videos with her brothers became familiar to many, and her devotional and folk songs travelled far beyond Bihar, reaching people abroad and those interested in regional languages and music.

This growing recognition eventually led to national honours, including the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for her work in folk music and being named Cultural Ambassador of the Year at the National Creators Award 2024.

The Unusual Turn: Joining Politics In 2025

In October 2025, Maithili surprised many by joining the BJP. She was given a ticket from Alinagar in Darbhanga, a constituency that sits right in the cultural pocket she belongs to.

For a first-time candidate, she came across as clear and steady in her approach. She called it "the right time to step up" and said she wanted to serve people in a more direct way than music allowed. Early voting trends show real curiosity around her candidature and now it's about seeing how that reflects in the final numbers.

What Makes Her Candidature Stand Out

Her entry feels different for a few reasons:

• She represents cultural pride. Mithila has a strong sense of cultural identity, and she embodies that effortlessly.
• She connects strongly with younger audiences, and her digital following has grown naturally rather than being shaped by heavy promotion.
• She has visibility, but she doesn't spark extreme opinions which is uncommon in politics.
• She brings a clean slate. No political lineage, no baggage, just public goodwill.

In a state where local identity and emotional connection matter deeply, this combination gives her a unique advantage.

Her Net Worth At A Glance

Maithili Thakur's 2025 election affidavit places her net worth at nearly ₹4 crore, combining both movable and immovable assets. Her movable property includes around ₹53 lakh in gold jewellery and ₹1,80,700 in cash, while the rest comes from land and other immovable holdings accumulated over recent years. She declared zero liabilities, and her income has steadily risen from about ₹12 lakh in 2019-20 to nearly ₹29 lakh in 2023-24 reflecting the financial stability she built entirely through her music career before entering politics.

How Voters See Her

For many in the region, Maithili isn't a distant celebrity. She feels familiar, someone whose art reflects their language, festivals, and everyday life. In that sense, she connects with people in a way political speeches often fail to.

But elections aren't decided by popularity alone. Ground organisation, alliance equations, caste dynamics, and voter turnout will all play their own roles in Alinagar. Her challenge isn't just to be liked, it's to convert goodwill into votes.

Whether Maithili Thakur wins or not, her presence in the 2025 Bihar election marks a shift in how cultural figures can shape public life. She represents a bridge between tradition and modernity, between folk roots and digital reach, between art and governance.

With early counting showing her leading in the Alinagar constituency, her journey from Benipatti to the ballot box is already making waves. One thing is clear: Bihar hasn't seen a candidate quite like her in a long time.