New Delhi: As Congress and the Mahagathbandhan lag in early vote-counting trends, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday described the Bihar Assembly elections as a contest between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the people of Bihar.

Speaking to reporters in the national capital, Khera took a jibe at CEC Kumar, saying he has an upper hand over the public in Bihar. He stated, "These are just early trends, we're waiting a bit. The initial trends certainly suggest that Gyanesh Kumar is gaining an upper hand over the people of Bihar. I can't underestimate the people of Bihar. They have shown courage. They showed it despite the SIR and vote theft. The contest is directly between the Election Commission of India and the people of Bihar, and let's see who wins."

He added, "I'm not even talking about parties. I'm talking about a direct, straight contest between CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the people of Bihar. Now, let's see in the coming hours how effective Gyanesh Kumar will be."

Congress’ early performance has been dismal, with the party leading in only seven seats as per Election Commission data at 11:30 a.m., translating to a conversion rate of just 11.6 per cent. In 2020, Congress had won 19 seats.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance has comfortably crossed the halfway mark of 122 seats, holding a lead in 190 constituencies. The BJP was ahead in 82 seats while the JD(U) led on 80 seats. The Mahagathbandhan, meanwhile, was leading in just 45 seats, with the RJD ahead in 33.

Earlier, Congress MP Manickam Tagore also raised concerns over alleged vote deletion, tweeting, "When you delete 65 lakh voters--mostly from the opposition's voters --what do you expect on result day? Democracy cannot survive if the playing field is tilted before the match even begins."