New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will enter the last lap of its full five-year term on October 13 with signs of economy looking up, but politically the outcome of the coming Assembly elections in five states may indicate the way the wind would blow in the Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year.

On both the domestic and external fronts, Kashmir continues to be a "headache" which even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee conceded on a foreign soil a couple of days back, with uncertainty surrounding his peace initiative with Pakistan.

On his return after attending the India-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Summit in Indonesia and an official visit to Thailand, Vajpayee said the NDA government had provided stability to the nation and it was important that a coalition regime had achieved this distinction.

"There was a feeling earlier that if at all a coalition government is formed, it will not run for long. But our government is continuing. It has provided stability to the country which is continuing to progress," he told reporters.

Even though Vajpayee has completed more than five years of uninterrupted role, there was a break when the government had to seek a mandate in 1999 after the fall of his earlier government following a 13-month tenure.

PTI