The Mood of the Nation poll is probably one survey whose findings will not be very different from the final results ("Atal Wave", February 9). Apart from the iconic stature that Vajpayee has achieved, the other significant factor is that the young turks in the NDA have made a huge difference through their performance and professional ability.

H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Mysore

If the accent of the Vajpayee Government is on delivery, it is a sign that they have realised that voters are becoming mature. Sonia Gandhi cuts a sorry figure whenever she tries to launch an attack on the NDA. She should keep her public speeches to a minimum.

Devendra Narain, on e-mail

The mood of a nation does change, but in the case of Vajpayee it has been rather dramatic and swift. This has been triggered by his evolution into a truly national leader, cutting across caste, religion and region. But the NDA cannot be complacent as the mood of the nation might once again swing in the opposite direction between now and election day.

Suja Nambiar, Karaikal

The survey shows a huge gap between the leadership ratings of Vajpayee and Sonia. It is surprising that in spite of the December debacle, Congressmen still insist on reposing their faith in the dynasty.

S.P. Sharma, Mumbai

I was surprised to read that people have now started voting on issues of development rather than religion and caste. If your claim is true then why do national parties like the BJP and Congress form alliances with small regional parties, which have no influence outside their state. The truth is that Indian politics has not yet moved away from religious and caste-based issues. At election time, parties use them for their own advantage.

R. Paurnakrishna, Chennai

The poll appeared incomplete because it ignored the issues of communal violence and corruption. In fact, it appears like it was sponsored by the BJP.

Ashoke K. Bagchi, on e-mail

Congress presidents are a part of India's history and they will continue to remain so, much after local, opportunistic politicians fade away. It is sad to see Sonia going out of her way to woo politicians of much lower stature.

Sudhir Suri, on e-mail

Your opinion poll creates a totally wrong impression. The general election is not a personal contest between Vajpayee and Sonia. It is a process where many other parties are involved.

A. Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram

We had no problem accepting the Blessed Mother Teresa as our own. We also praise Annie Besant for her contribution to the freedom movement. If we could accept these "foreign" people, why are we so antagonistic to Sonia?

Kadian Z. Singh, Haryana

Time to Act

The factionalism in the Kerala Congress has become a major hindrance to development in the state ("Broken Bonds", February 9). Chief Minister A.K. Antony has been spending most of his time dealing with the selfish game plans of K. Karunakaran and his son instead of concentrating on administration. The party high command should either rein them in with strict disciplinary action or throw them out, once and for all.

Susamma Thomas, Kollam

For the Sake of Progress

Since there has been a drastic change in Lucknow's fortunes because it is the prime minister's constituency, maybe we should have a prime minister from a different constituency every five years ("Lucky Lucknow", February 2). Many more places would then witness a similar windfall.

Arun Gargi, Amritsar

Durable Shine

The continuation of the feel-good factor will depend, to a large extent, on whether we get a strong government at the Centre ("How Long will the Economy Shine?", February 2). The electorate, therefore, has the responsibility of electing a stable government in the upcoming general elections.

Debasish Lahiri, Jamshedpur

One can tell that the feel-good factor is for real by just thinking back to the time, not so long ago, when we had a lot more poverty, misery and riots.

Anand Sriram, Mumbai

The NDA Government's slogan that there is a feel-good wave sweeping across the country may be true for a very small minority. But for the vast majority who face an uncertain future on account of the unemployment scenario and spiralling inflation, it is an empty slogan and nothing to cheer about.

V. Padmanabhan, on e-mail

We should not be satisfied with just feel-good. We need to carry on so that we can all feel great by 2010 and feel proud by 2020.

Shyam Zambre, on e-mail

I retired seven years ago. My savings and retirement benefits earned 12-15 per cent returns. Now the income from these savings has gone down by 50-70 per cent, so the feel-good economy is actually hurting me. Borrowing money is cheaper, but I don't do any business so this trend is of no use to me. I do not dabble in stocks so the booming stock market gives me no reason to feel good either. I think this feel-good factor is for those who have been allowed to use my money for their own benefit.

Brigadier (retd) Dileep Gole, Pune

Infrastructure development is of no use unless it is accompanied by human development. We live in a country where dowry is still prevalent and thousands of women are raped every year. I am not negating the economic progress we have made, but a progressive society is as important as a booming economy.

Apeksha Jain, Delhi

Wrong Picture

I was very angry and upset to see the picture on the cover depicting Vajpayee and Sonia standing back-to-back, with their bodies touching ("Mortal Kombat", January 26). They have always behaved with utmost dignity and I am sure they would never dream of posing for such a photograph. As an educationist, I wonder what signals we are sending to our youth. Such deterioration of standards is the root cause of our youth going astray.

Snehalata Deshmukh, Mumbai