Vasundhara Raje's face was dropped from BJP posters two months back (File)
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has made a comeback on BJP posters, two months after new posters of the party office in capital Jaipur conspicuously left her out.
Posters made for the BJP's Jan Ashirwad Yatra, being taken out by Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav in Rajasthan, feature Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president JP Nadda, Vasundhara Raje, Gajendra Shekhawat, Arjun Meghwal and Kailash Chaudhary.
The Yatra, cutting across 22 states, seeks to introduce new ministers at the Centre to the people - an outreach that comes ahead of a string of state polls.
The two-time Chief Minister's absence in the party posters had fuelled reports of factionalism in the Rajasthan BJP.
A few days ago, Ms Raje, during a visit to Jhalawar, broke her silence on the "poster row" and said she does not believe in the politics of posters but wants to live in the hearts of the people.
Her return to top billing is seen to be an acknowledgement by the BJP of her popular appeal and also aims to telegraph a message of unity for the state unit riven by factionalism.
But despite her name on the posters, Ms Raje is not participating in the Yatra, which started from Alwar's Bhiwadi on Thursday and will cover a distance of over 400 km in three days.
Bhupendra Yadav and other leaders will interact with people at 40 places in Alwar, Jaipur and Ajmer. For BJP, the Yatra is also a way to size up the party's strength in the state.
Mr Yadav, recently inducted in the Modi cabinet, was chosen as the face of the Yatra in Rajasthan. He is the Rajya Sabha MP from Ajmer.
"Our team is doing good work in Rajasthan and we are confident we will form the government here in the next elections," said Bhupendra Yadav.
The mission of the Yatra is elections 2023, but with Bhupendra yadav becoming the face rather than other MPs like Gajendra Shekhawat or Arjun Ram Meghwal, questions were asked whether the party wants to position him as a new face of the party in the state.
"I am not a claimant (to the post). These speculations are baseless," said Mr Yadav swatting away such rumours.
Mr Yadav, best known for his organisational skills in the party, is considered close to both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.