NEW DELHI: As counting begins on Friday morning, all eyes are on Alinagar, where the BJP is attempting to win the seat for the first time since its creation in 2008. The party has fielded Maithili singer Maithili Thakur, banking on her popularity and cultural connect in Mithilanchal to make inroads in a constituency long dominated by regional players.Thakur faces a direct contest with RJD’s Binod Mishra, who finished runner-up in 2020, and Jan Suraj’s Biplaw Chaudhary. The seat, falling under Darbhanga district and part of the Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency, is in the General category.Political observers say the Alinagar outcome will indicate how far the BJP’s outreach through youth icons and cultural identity politics resonates in the region. Thakur’s candidature marks a strategic shift, with the party hoping her appeal among young and first-time voters could swing the seat its way.In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the Alinagar contest was among the closest in the state. Mishri Lal Yadav of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) had edged out Binod Mishra (RJD) by just 3,101 votes, securing 61,082 votes to Mishra’s 57,981. Five years earlier, in 2015, RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui had comfortably won the seat with 67,461 votes, defeating his nearest rival by over 13,000 votes.
| Candidates | Party | Votes polled | Vote percentage |
| Maithili Thakur | BJP | ||
| Binod Mishra | RJD | ||
| Biplaw Chaudhary | Jan Suraaj | ||
| Margin of difference |
With Thakur entering the fray, this year’s race has taken on a new dimension. The BJP is seeking to expand its base in north Bihar beyond its traditional urban and upper-caste strongholds. The RJD, meanwhile, is counting on its organisational network and caste arithmetic to retain its edge.Counting for all 243 assembly constituencies begins at 8:00am, and early trends from Alinagar are expected to set the tone for the broader Darbhanga region.
