Overview
- Election Commission data showed Thakur ahead after later rounds of counting, leading 70,044 to 63,090 after 20 of 24 rounds and 56,083 to 49,149 after 16 rounds, with counting still in progress.
- If the lead holds, she is poised to become Bihar’s youngest MLA at 25 and deliver the BJP its first win in Alinagar since the seat was created in 2008.
- Alinagar, in Darbhanga, has a mixed electorate with significant Brahmin, Muslim, Yadav and EBC populations and has historically favored the RJD, including wins by Abdul Bari Siddiqui; the 2020 winner Mishri Lal Yadav was later disqualified.
- Thakur joined the BJP on October 14 and campaigned with support from top leaders, leveraging her large social-media following and Mithila identity; a pledge to rename Alinagar as Sitanagar later drew a clarification that the idea came from Union minister Nityanand Rai.
- Statewide trends point to a strong NDA performance across Bihar, with multiple outlets reporting the alliance leading comfortably over the opposition.