With campaigning scheduled to end on Friday, it was time for the Congress to do whatever it could to bolster its chances. But as Patel moved around with her party workers, the response varied from poor to moderate. In the Raopura area, which she worked in the morning, the indifference was palpable: she managed to attract groups of 15-20 people at the most.

``Why greet them when we know no major difference will be brought about after this election? The entire exercise is a farce'', said Sudhir Shah of Raopura.

Patel had to cut short her pherni for a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the Harni airport; the breather probably came as a major relief.

The next round of pherni began around 4.20 pm in the Congress bastion of Manjalpur. A motley crowd of 200 people accompanied Patel. As she paid obeisance at a small temple in Manjalpur village, a local wit's sarcasm said it all: ``She must be praying for an end to this indifference.''

But hard-core Congress workers refused to be upset. ``The turnout maybe low, but believe me, these are genuine workers and not paid ones'', said local party worker Somabhai Solanki. ``Other parties manipulate numbers by paying people to attend their rallies.''

As in most of her constituency, the faint response to Patel in Manjalpur was more on account of her being the widow of Chimanbhai Patel than anything else. ``She carries forward Chimanbhai's legacy and that is what is important to us. Here people will vote with that legacy in mind'', claimed Shankarbhai Harsukhbhai Shah.

In the last leg of electioneering, age seemed to be catching up with her. She had to take frequent breaks by sitting down, instead of waving hands and greeting people, as is the norm.