New Delhi
After weeks of discussions to work out an acceptable seat-sharing arrangement with the Janata Dal , the BJP on Friday conceded to a smaller share, announcing that the two main allies will contest “equal seats” in Bihar while leaving a “respectable” number for other partners Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party.

The breakthrough came following a meeting between BJP chief Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister JD(U)’s national president Nitish Kumar. How the 40 seats in the state will be divided, how many seats the four allies will get and who will contest from where are the details that will be announced later but for the BJP, which had won 22 seats from the state in 2014, it will be a major step-back.

“When a new ally has joined, all of us will have to make a sacrifice. Who will fight and from where will be decided in consultation with other partners,” Shah said. The alliance will poll more seats than 2014 , he said.

Kumar had broken away from the NDA, objecting to Narendra Modi being projected as the PM candidate, and made his “ghar wapsi” to the alliance last year. Apparently, Shah had to agree to Kumar’s demand for an equal footing as the BJP in Bihar to prevent him from exploring other options, like the possibility of joining a ‘mahagathbandhan’ against the NDA.