Congress leader Pawan Khera stated on Friday that the 2025 Bihar elections represent a contest between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the state’s electorate, as preliminary trends show a significant advantage for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Current data from the Election Commission indicates that the NDA is leading in 187 assembly seats, while the opposition INDIA bloc is trailing with leads in only 49 seats. Khera, a member of the All India Congress Committee Working Committee, noted that these trends are still emerging: “This is just the beginning, and we are waiting.”
Criticizing the ECI, Khera remarked that the early trends suggest Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar Gupta is influencing the electoral outcome in Bihar. He expressed appreciation for the courage exhibited by voters despite allegations of irregularities, saying, “The people have shown great courage despite issues like SIR and ‘vote chori.’ How effective Gyanesh Kumar Gupta will be remains to be seen.” He further remarked, “This contest is between the Election Commission of India and the people of Bihar.”
Khera took a jab at the Chief Election Commissioner, likening his efforts to a book titled “To Serve with Love,” humorously suggesting that Gupta is composing a version for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The NDA’s current performance follows remarkable successes for the BJP in recent elections held in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Haryana. Prime Minister Modi’s substantial support for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seems to have benefitted the Janata Dal (United), which is currently leading in over 70 seats, a significant increase from the 43 seats it won in 2020.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Union minister Chirag Paswan is also performing well, leading in over 20 seats despite contesting only 29. Conversely, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which has claimed to be the “single largest party” while in opposition, is projected to fare poorly, with leads in fewer than 40 seats after contesting more than 140.
The Congress party, having contested 61 seats and engaging in “friendly fights” with its allies in several constituencies, is also struggling, with leads in fewer than 10 seats. Should the current trends translate into actual results, the BJP may surpass the JD(U) in this election cycle for a second consecutive time, potentially prompting internal demands for a BJP chief minister from its ranks.
