Patna: BJP president Amit Shah and chief minister Nitish Kumar had a 20-minute one-to-one meeting after dinner at 1 Aney Marg, the CM's official residence, on Thursday.

After the meal Shah and Nitish walked into a separate room and "walked out with smiles on their faces," said a senior BJP leader who was part of the party contingent that accompanied Shah at the dinner.

A senior JDU leader who was also present at the dinner highlighted the "very cordial atmosphere" at the two meetings - over breakfast and dinner - that Nitish and Shah had, and said it dissipated the tension that was building in the run-up to the BJP boss's visit due to statements from both the party camps on seat sharing for 2019.

Asked if the seat-sharing formula had been thrashed out, the JDU leader said: "It will be a long-drawn process, but we are confident of a win-win situation for both the parties as the top leaders have weeded out the basic problems."

Shah had on Thursday stressed that the NDA in Bihar was a united house.

"He specifically told us that we need to remain united and that we should also take care of the sentiments of our alliance partners," said a senior BJP leader.

Nitish too took special care of the BJP chief , which reflected in the dinner menu. The menu had many items from Gujarat such as thepla, dhokla, Gujarati kadhi, and lotwala karela. There were sugar-free desserts - Shah is diabetic and jalebi made using jaggery - considered healthier than sugar.

The dinner conversation was devoid of any serious political topics.

"Nothing like seat sharing or other political issues related to our alliance came up for discussion during the dinner," said a BJP leader.