`They are playing all sorts of tricks to intimidate us. They delay our departure from Delhi, sometimes by an hour. Here in UP, they have been denying us permission to hold our rallies. They are very nervous and insecure. Voh Congress party se dar gaye hain, Sonia Gandhi se dar gaye hain (They're scared of the Congress and Sonia Gandhi),' she declared in a brief chat with correspondents who accompanied her on her brainstorming tour of five constituencies in UP today.

The round ended in Mulayam territory, Sambhal, where the response she received astonished everyone, from Congress leaders to local policemen. It was a big day for Sambhal. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who won this constituency by a margin of nearly 2 lakh last year, was also there. So was BSP supremo Kanshi Ram whose nominee last year put the Congress candidate in theignominious position of losing his deposit, getting a mere 4,000-odd votes. But today, according to police estimates, the crowds at Sonia's rally far outnumbered those who went to hear the heroes of 1998.

`The size of the crowd is not as important as the response. A large crowd can be manufactured but not this kind of response,' mused Rahul Gandhi as he gazed at the packed ground from the sidelines. A cheer went up when he climbed the podium and waved.

`He is the new ray of hope for the youth, your yuva neta (youth leader),' gushed PCC chief Salman Khursheed, obviously quite carried away by the occasion.

Maybe he was justified, for it was the same story in Shahjehanpur, Rampur and Kashipur (Nainital). These three are of course strong seats which the Congress is hoping to win this time. But even in Lakhimpur Kheri, where the party is not very optimistic, the crowds rolled out.

Sonia was clearly delighted. `It's very heartwarming and very touching,' she said with a happy smile. She described herparty's prospects in UP as `good' but shied away from putting a figure to it. She is pragmatic enough to realise that crowds do not necessarily translate into seats, particularly in a State where the votes are being split four ways.

Today's campaign was again a mix of rallies and one roadshow. In Shehjehanpur, she drove through the town for an hour, stopping every now and then to roll down the window of her bulletproof Ambassador or stand on the footboard to wave at the people lining the streets. Her motorcade was showered with rose petals and when she saw a group of women waiting patiently with garlands, she was tempted to get out. The SPG was reluctant so Rahul went instead, disappearing into the house for several minutes to talk to the family.

In fact, everywhere, it was Rahul who substituted for his mother in personal interaction, at times climbing up on the barricades to reach out to people, much to their delight. Although he took care not to take the spotlight away from his mother, it was clear thathe was enjoying himself hugely. `It's very moving to see the faith people have in us,' he confessed.

The unexpected response Sonia is getting has perked up Congress workers as well. In Kashipur, for instance, the mood was buoyant. Last year, Narain Dutt Tiwari had lost the Nainital seat to BJP rival Ila Pant. `This time, we are working hard to see that Tiwariji wins,' declared MBA graduate Ritu Vatsalya.

The state leadership is more cautious. They know they are back in the reckoning in UP but they are not sure to what extent. `What is important is our vote percentage this time. If we can narrow the gap with the BJP this time, then we'll reverse places in the next elections,' said Khursheed.