In the era of coalition politics, she wielded powerful influence both at the national and the regional level. Over the years, her party has been a part of both the ruling and opposition alliances at various points in time. She was instrumental in toppling the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999, though it seemed to backfire on her as she lost the following Parliamentary elections. Her political fortunes took a downswing in the 2004 elections where her party, having lost all the seats it contested, was virtually wiped out in elections to the Union Parliament, and considerably diminished her influence over national politics.