LK Advani with AIADMK leader Thambidurai. (PTI)
Among a crowd of thousands that attended what served as the closing ceremony for LK Advani's rath yatra in Delhi were an array of the BJP leader's colleagues - Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar to name a few.
But those whose presence may hold special meaning for Mr Advani was M Thambidurai the representative sent as a gesture of support by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. In September, when Narendra Modified held a three-day fast in Gujarat, she had deputed party leaders, leading many to infer that Mr Modi was gaining acceptance as a national leader for the BJP among allies and potential partners. Like Mr Advani, Mr Modi reportedly aspires to be his party's prime ministerial candidate for the general elections.
Today, the parliamentary chief of Jayalalithaa's party, M Thambidurai said, "I want to congratulate Advaniji on behalf of our leader J Jayalalithaa... we hope that all like-minded political parties get together in raising the issue of corruption against the UPA and help give good governance to the people of the country."
Though the AIADMK is not part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mr Thambidurai sat prominently among other NDA leaders on the stage.
Mr Advani has said that though he does not want to compete to be the BJP's choice for PM, he does not see the reason for a formal declaration that rules him out. His 38-day yatra across the country was ostensibly to highlight the corruption within the government, and to pitch the BJP as a viable alternative to voters; it was also in many ways his attempt to prove his drawing power, and to remind both party cadres and the public that he is capable of being the face of his party.
Mr Modi's ambitions to move to the centrestage have to constantly be adjusted to the reality that the communal riots in his state in 2002 still rule him out as a collaborator for other political parties.
His rapport with Jayalalithaa has been flourishing. When she was sworn in as Chief Minister, he flew down to Chennai for the ceremony. She returned the favour by her proxy presence at his fast. Now, her gesture of goodwill has been extended to Mr Advani. For two leaders trying to rake up support for their own camps, her move seems to indicate that as far as she's concerned, it's the BJP and its focus on fighting corruption that counts - not who is at the front. Or that she's hedging her bets till the party decides who it will pick as it's leader for the elections.