As early trends from the Bihar Assembly polls indicated a dismal performance by the Congress, senior party leader and former Governor Nikhil Kumar on Friday issued a sharp critique of the party’s organisational preparedness, strategic missteps, and candidate selection process.

Kumar’s remarks come at a time when the ruling NDA is surging ahead in the vote count, leaving the Mahagathbandhan — of which the Congress is a key partner — struggling to register gains.

Speaking to IANS, the veteran leader said the outcome reflected “the weakness of our organisation,” noting that a political party’s electoral strength depends on the efficiency of its grassroots machinery. “If the organisation is weak and cannot function effectively, the overall outcome suffers,” he said.

He argued that inadequate groundwork and flawed strategy further undermined the party’s prospects. “Our candidates are capable, but even better candidates could have been chosen. The organisation should have worked strategically and intelligently, and maintained a strong presence across constituencies,” he added.

Kumar also pointed to issues of poor coordination and limited inclusivity within the leadership, suggesting that crucial voices were left out of decision-making. He claimed that several “good candidates” were overlooked in favour of “incompetent” ones, weakening the party’s ability to compete in important seats.

His criticism comes as counting proceeds across Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies. The Election Commission began the process at 8 a.m., starting with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 a.m. Multi-layer security has been deployed across 46 counting centres in 38 districts.

By midday, ECI trends showed the NDA comfortably crossing the majority mark of 122 seats, leading in over 150 constituencies, with both the BJP and JD(U) performing strongly. The Congress, meanwhile, was ahead in only a handful of seats.

While the Congress has repeatedly struggled to find electoral momentum in Bihar, Kumar’s unusually forthright remarks highlight growing unease within the party over stagnating organisational structures, weak booth-level mobilisation, and an inability to gauge shifting voter sentiment.

As final results are expected later on Friday, Kumar’s comments are likely to add pressure on the party leadership to overhaul its organisational framework, revisit its political strategy, and rebuild grassroots engagement ahead of future elections.