Almost all her party candidates lost their deposits including state level leaders. The then Congress state unit president, K V Thangkabalu, garnered only 48,027 votes despite Sonia coming to his constituency to campaign for him. The Sriperumbudur candidate managed to get only 10 per cent of the total votes polled in the constituency.

Observers attribute the poor impact she made in the 1998 elections to the people of Tamil Nadu not taking her political plunge seriously. Moreover, Congress was fighting the elections alone and the state unit was virtually non-existent. Remnants of the party after Tamil Maanila Congress broke away in 1996, were faction-ridden.

This time around, Congress has tied up with AIADMK. But the state unit continues to be in shambles. The party will obviously poll more votes than last time but that is due to the alliance. Sonia's personal image has also taken a beating when she failed to form an alternate government in the Centre after Jayalalitha withdrew support and Vajpayee lost the confidence vote by narrowest margin.

Her remarks on Kargil have also not gone down well with people. Opposition is quick to capitalise on it. Home minister LK Advani, at a meeting on Tuesday, highlighted the point that only Pakistan and Congress opposed the government's handling of the Kargil issue. Her persistent demand for a Rajya Sabha session without attending some of the all party meetings convened by the government has also been brought to focus by her opponents.

Her decision to align with Jayalalitha had also raised quite a few eyebrows in the political circles. Her decision, some say, was correct in the context of ensuring that her party gets as much seats as possible, either by itself or through allies, especially in the context of the happenings in Maharashtra.

Some political analysts observe that Congress had lost yet another chance to consolidate its position in the state by forming an effective third front. The party could have aligned with TMC and other smaller parties. This would have helped to develop a base for itself, rather than leaning heavily on the Dravidian parties.

Whatever seats Congress may get this time (the party is contesting in 12 seats), it would be courtesy Jayalalitha and unless the state unit of the party is rejuvenated and actions taken with a long term outlook, it will have to depend on others for electoral gains in future too - Sonia Gandhi's presence notwithstanding.