The BJP-led NDA, which includes Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU, is heading for a sweeping victory in Bihar.
As of 4 pm, the alliance was leading in 208 of the 243 Assembly seats, leaving the Opposition far behind.
The Congress, which contested 61 seats as part of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, was ahead in only five.
Several Congress leaders publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s performance, calling it a sign of deep organisational weakness.
Former Governor Nikhil Kumar told ANI that the situation reflected the weakness of their organisation. He said that, in any election, a political party relied on its organisational strength, and if the organisation was weak and unable to function effectively, the overall outcome would suffer. He added that their candidates were all very capable, but even better candidates could have been chosen.
Former IPS officer Anand, son of former Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha, echoed the sentiment and added that the organisation should have worked strategically and intelligently, while also maintaining a strong presence across all constituencies. He said it was a total failure of the organisation, and stated with conviction that if their organisation had been strong, the results for their candidates would have been different.
Shashi Tharoor noted that the Congress was not the main party in the alliance and said the results would have to be studied once counting was completed.
He pointed out that the NDA was leading by a large margin but stressed that it was necessary to wait for the Election Commission to announce the final results. He added that the Congress had a responsibility to examine in detail the reasons for the outcome, while reminding that the party was not the senior partner in the alliance and that the RJD would also need to assess its own performance. He emphasised that it was important to consider the totality of the alliance’s performance.
Tharoor further stated that he had not been present in Bihar and had not been invited to campaign there, so he could not comment based on personal experience. He said those who had been involved in the campaign would certainly study the results.
Congress leader Mumtaz Patel said that the party needed to face the truth.
She wrote on X that there should be no excuses, no blame game, and no superficial introspection, and that it was time for the organisation to look within and accept reality. She questioned how long loyal ground workers, who had stood by the party through all circumstances, would have to wait to see success, noting that instead they were witnessing repeated failures because power was concentrated in the hands of a few individuals who were disconnected from ground realities and responsible for the party’s recurring setbacks.
She further added that, in her view, those very individuals would continue to be rewarded repeatedly because they had made themselves indispensable through their control and influence.
Some Congress leaders chose to place the blame on the Election Commission.
Pawan Khera told reporters that, according to him, the initial trends themselves indicated that Gyanesh Kumar seemed to be succeeding against the people of Bihar. He said the fight was not between the BJP, Congress, RJD, and JDU, but was instead a direct fight between Gyanesh Kumar and the people of India.
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also held the Chief Election Commissioner responsible. He told ANI that he believed one person was responsible for the result—Gyanesh Kumar—and sarcastically congratulated him. Baghel said that 65 lakh votes had been deleted and 21 lakh voters added, claiming that this “magic” had been done by Gyanesh Kumar alone, and again offered his congratulations.
Ashok Gehlot also criticised the Election Commission, alleging that money had been distributed during polling. He questioned why the EC had remained a mute spectator and had not stopped it, saying that ₹10,000 was being handed out during the election and that the Commission should have intervened but did not. He added that this illustrated exactly what Rahul Gandhi meant when he spoke about vote theft.
The election recorded a voter turnout of 67.13 per cent, the highest in Bihar since 1951.