AS the move to form an alternative government if and when the Vajpayee administration collapses begins to acquire seriousness, it is worth recounting the mood in the BJP a couple of months ago. During the poll campaign for the 12th Lok Sabha, when Sonia Gandhi's barnstorming tour threatened to push Vajpayee off the front pages, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Rajnath Singh was a worried man. "Atalji" was to commence the crucial UP leg of his campaign and Singh, despite the upbeat facade, was on the phone to mediapersons in Delhi asking them what the reaction to Sonia's travels had been. "Accordingly, we will decide our campaign strategy for UP," he said. The crucial question then—as it is now—was how much acceptability Sonia had with the electorate.