Patna, Nov 14 (NationPress) According to the initial trends, the Congress party is currently behind; however, several leaders within the party expressed on Friday that a coalition government of the INDIA bloc is poised to be established in Bihar with a decisive majority.

In an interview with IANS, Congress leader Devendra Yadav stated, “The trends observed today contrast with the predictions made by the exit polls, and we reject those forecasts. A coalition government of the INDIA bloc is on track to be formed in Bihar with a solid majority.”

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput remarked, “In numerous trends, the Mahagathbandhan is in the lead. So why focus solely on the early trends? Over the past few years, we have witnessed how trends can be manipulated. The BJP and its affiliates seem to be orchestrating something to sway these trends. I've seen various news channels indicating that the Mahagathbandhan is ahead. Democracy should prevail, not ‘Lokchandra’. The Election Commission of India must adhere to the Constitution, not any political party. I firmly believe that the people of Bihar have cast their votes in favor of the Mahagathbandhan.”

All India Congress Committee General Secretary Avinash Pandey commented, “The initial trends are only just starting to emerge, and it will take some time to ascertain the full results. However, I am confident that, given the hard work of all coalition parties in upholding democracy, we will certainly achieve success and establish a coalition government here.”

As the counting of votes for the Bihar Assembly elections commenced, the initial trends from the Election Commission indicated a pronounced lead for the NDA and a setback for the Mahagathbandhan. By 10 a.m., the poll panel reported that the NDA had surpassed the crucial figure of 122 seats, while the grand alliance was leading in 42 constituencies.

The remarkable aspect of these early trends is that JD(U) has surged to the top position, emerging as the single largest party.

The counting process for all 243 Assembly seats began at 8 a.m., starting with the verification of postal ballots. This was followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8:30 a.m., conducted under stringent multi-tier security measures across the state.

As per updates from the Election Commission of India: By 10:30 a.m., the ruling NDA was leading in 172 seats — with the BJP at 73, JD(U) at 77, LJP(RV) at 18, and HAMS at four. The Opposition Mahagathbandhan was leading in 54 seats — with RJD at 42, Congress at seven, and CPI(ML)(L) at five.

Candidates from both alliances expressed confidence in their results. Leaders from the NDA claimed that the people of Bihar had placed their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurances and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's efforts towards the state's development.

The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, asserted that Bihar had “voted for change” and expressed hope that Tejashwi Yadav would lead the next government.

The counting operations are being monitored by 243 Returning Officers and an equal number of Counting Observers appointed by the Election Commission.

More than 18,000 counting agents representing various candidates are present at the centers to closely oversee the process.

Entry into counting centers is strictly limited to individuals with valid passes, and mobile phone use inside counting halls is entirely prohibited.

The election saw participation from over 70 crore voters who cast their votes to determine the fate of both the ruling NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. The polling took place in two phases, on November 6 and 11.