Union home minister Amit Shah said NDA allies will contest the Bihar assembly elections "under the leadership of Nitish Kumar," but the chief minister will be chosen by elected legislators after the polls. The JD(U) quickly clarified there's no ambiguity -- Nitish Kumar will return as CM if the NDA wins. Meanwhile, the Congress mocked the statement, saying it proved Nitish was no longer the NDA's CM face. On the opposition side, the INDIA bloc continues to face friction over seat-sharing. As 1,698 candidates filed nominations for the first phase, Tejashwi Yadav joined 71 opposition candidates, even as Mukesh Sahani withdrew, eyeing the deputy CM post.