Former BJP leader Uma Bharti accompanied party leaders L.K. Advani, Rajnath Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad in a special plane to Raipur on Wednesday, sparking speculation on her possible return to the BJP.
Sources said Advani had asked her to accompany them for a ceremony following
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's father's death.
Bharti has also met Advani on many occasions in the recent past, more than a year after she had asked to be inducted in the NDA. She is believed to be angling for a return to the BJP.
When she resigned from organisational posts of the Bharatiya Janashakti Party a few months ago, there was feverish speculation about her return, but things have stood still till now.
Bharti had been expelled from the party after a spat with Advani.
While Advani has apparently softened on her return, BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh are opposed to her return.
Recently, Advani had similarly asked Jaswant Singh to accompany him for Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's funeral.