Folk singer Maithili Thakur joins BJP ahead of Bihar polls

PATNA: Popular folk singer Maithili Thakur made her political debut on Tuesday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections. She took membership of the BJP in the presence of a host of senior leaders, including state president Dilip Jaiswal. I will follow whatever instructions are given to me. Contesting an election is not my goal. I will abide by the order given to me by the party leadership, she said, after taking membership of the saffron party in Patna. She was full of praise for the development work undertaken in Bihar under NDA rule. I have seen the developments brought about by the NDA in the state, she said. Thakur has been tipped to be fielded from the Alinagar assembly seat in Darbhanga district. The seat is currently held by BJP MLA Mishri Lal Yadav, who was acquitted by the Patna high court in a criminal case recently. Mishri Yadavs membership was withdrawn after being convicted in the case. During an internal survey conducted by the BJP, it was noticed that the sitting MLAs popularity has decreased substantially in his constituency. Earlier, Maithili Thakur had said that if the party leadership considered her candidacy, she would prefer to contest from any constituency in Madhubani and Darbhanga districts. I have my roots in both Madhubani and Darbhanga districts, she had said. While her grandmothers village is located in Madhubani district, her maternal grandmother belonged to Darbhanga district. People from both places love me equally. But ultimately, it will be the partys decision, she was quoted as saying. An ardent admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thakur said that she had been listening to his Mann Ki Baat programme and live speeches at public meetings for a long time, which always inspired her.