As the plane touched down at Raipur's Mana airport around 10 a.m., reporters spotted Uma Bharti stepping out from the plane with Advani, former party president Rajnath Singh and party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
BJP sources said all four leaders were in the state capital for about 40 minutes. After having breakfast together, they left for Kawardha town for a function to pay tributes to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's father. The chief minister's father died June 4.
The sources said Advani also took Uma Bharti to Kawardha from Raipur in a chopper to attend the condolence meet at Raman Singh's hometown. Kawardha is 120 km from here.
Though none of the BJP leaders commented on former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti's arrival here with Advani, she looked relaxed.
Uma Bharti, also a former union minister, was expelled from the BJP in 2005 after a spat with Advani.
Published 16 June 2010, 10:48 IST