India, Oct. 22 -- The opposition coalition, the Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan, is intact in Bihar, and its constituent parties will jointly contest the assembly elections in the state, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday after meeting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav in Patna.

Gehlot, who also announced that the GA leaders would release the details at a joint press conference on Thursday, brushed aside suggestions that seat-sharing disputes that led to two parties fielding candidates on some seats were a reflection on the state of the coalition.

"The Mahagathbandhan is fighting the elections as a united front. There are minor issues on 5-7 seats due to local dynamics, ...