Midnapore, May 9: Every time his white Ambassador stops, Gurudas Dasgupta rolls down the window to speak to villagers with folded hands.

“They flock to his car because they want a glimpse of the MP,” says a local CPI leader, confident that Dasgupta will wrest the Panskura Lok Sabha seat.

“All other candidates have accepted defeat,” he adds.

“I am not yet an MP. If you cast your votes for me, I can be one,” an embarrassed Dasgupta pleads before driving away amid slogan-shouting.

“One can well imagine the Trinamul Congress’ position in Panskura. The candidate who won last time (Bikram Sarkar) has fled to contest from Howrah,” says a party worker.

However, the CPI is leaving no stones unturned. Armed with a copy of a Bengali daily dated June 6, 2000, Palash Ghosh alias Ramu goes around showing people the front-page picture where Trinamul’s Mohammad Rafique is seen heckling Dasgupta at Keshpur’s Sarui village.

Dasgupta raises the spectre of loss of livelihood in his speech at a village known for its rich flower harvest. “If the BJP comes to power, your flowers will no more be in demand as its policies will ensure imports from Finland, London and Scotland. Who will buy your flowers?”

Dasgupta is against personal attacks on his opponents.

Hema Choubey, widow of Gautam who was murdered allegedly by CPM workers, is the Trinamul candidate against him and her party hopes that she would ride over a sympathy wave.

“The opposition has alleged that we are not letting them put up graffiti but you can see for yourself posters of Hema Choubey,” Dasgupta said at a meeting and hurried onto the next stop.

Reminded that he lost the last elections, Dasgupta said “something went terribly wrong on the day of the polls”.