After hours of relentless rain, the skies over Alinagar finally ease. The drizzle lingers as Maithili Thakur’s cavalcade halts near the Bramhasthan at Dath Chowk. The 25-year-old folk singer, now the BJP’s youngest candidate in these Bihar elections, steps out to offer prayers at the roadside shrine. Word spreads fast — Maithili aa gayi hai.

Within minutes, boys and girls rush in, phones raised for selfies. Thakur, smiling, obliges them all. She switches easily between laughter and small talk, greeting women in fluent Maithili and sharing jokes as if she has always belonged here. For many, she is the region’s pride come home.

But hovering close are BJP leaders, coaching her through the rituals of campaigning. “Keep looking both sides and greet everyone while walking,” one instructs, ge

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