Patna: Following the release of the first candidate list of the BJP, prominent folk singer Maithili Thakur joined the BJP on Tuesday evening.

She was inducted into the party by BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal.

Thakur, who enjoys massive popularity for promoting Maithili folk culture and traditional music, is expected to contest from the Alinagar Assembly seat.

Party sources indicated that her name may be featured in the second list of 30 candidates, which is likely to be announced soon.

The 25-year-old singer hails from Madhubani district and learned music under the guidance of her father, Ramesh Thakur.

She currently resides in Najafgarh, Delhi, with her mother, Pooja Thakur and brothers Rishabh and Ayachi Thakur, who often perform alongside her.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, featuring a mix of senior leaders, sitting MLAs, and new faces.

The list includes both Deputy Chief Ministers, 12 ministers, 48 sitting MLAs, nine women candidates, and 12 new faces.

However, the party has also dropped several prominent leaders, including seven-time MLA and Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and Arun Sinha.

The BJP’s first list signals the party’s strategy of combining experienced leadership with new and youthful faces, while ensuring representation across communities and constituencies ahead of the high-stakes Bihar polls.

According to the party’s list, over 50 per cent of the tickets have been allotted to Dalits, backward, extremely backward, and women candidates.

The first list includes 20 candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 11 candidates from Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), 6 candidates from the SC/ST community, and 8 women candidates.

The list also provides fair representation to upper caste groups, with candidates from Bhumihar, Brahmin, Rajput, and Kayastha backgrounds.

Among the upper castes, 15 Rajputs, 11 Bhumihars, 7 Brahmins, 1 Kayastha, and 1 Chandravanshi were included in the first list.(IANS)