Celebrity Candidates in Bihar Election: A Mixed Bag of Results

Celebrity candidates in the Bihar Assembly elections have shown a mixed bag of results, with singer Maithili Thakur, contesting on a BJP ticket from Alinagar, leading in her constituency. According to the Times of India, after 14 rounds of counting, Thakur garnered 49,673 votes, placing her ahead of RJD candidate Binod Mishra, who received 42,364 votes.

Independent candidate Saifuddin Ahmed was significantly behind with just 1,520 votes. This seat had previously been held by RJD's Abdul Bari Siddiqui in the last two elections. On the other hand, actor-singer Khesari Lal Yadav, running from Chapra, was trailing in second place with 19,439 votes after seven rounds of counting.

BJP's Chhoti Kumari led with 24,537 votes, while independent Rakhi Gupta was far behind with 1,268 votes. The Chapra seat had been won by BJP's CN Gupta in both 2015 and 2020. Ritesh Pandey, another celebrity contestant, was faring the worst, placed fourth with only 6,935 votes for the newcomer Jan Suraaj Party, significantly behind JD(U)'s Bashisth Singh, who led with 38,647 votes after 15 rounds of counting.

The sitting MLA, Santosh Kumar Mishra from Congress, has been re-nominated for this election. The Bihar Assembly elections took place in two phases on November 6 and 11, covering 243 constituencies in total.

As per the latest updates, the ruling NDA coalition is on track for a landslide victory, leading in over 200 seats, marking a significant setback for the opposition Mahagathbandhan coalition. This development highlights the growing intersection of celebrity culture and politics, raising questions about the influence of fame in electoral outcomes, especially in a state like Bihar, where entertainment figures often draw significant public attention and support.