Krishnanagar, April 28 :    Krishnanagar, April 28:  Local residents call it Paglachandi Daha: it's a small canal in Jamalpur, 65 km from Krishnagar, which doesn't dry up even in summer. Next to it stands an ancient, much-revered Kali temple. On the other side of the canal, across the temple, is Jamalpur's second pilgrim centre: the house of the Mukherjees. Come morning and BJP workers make their way to the two-storey bungalow, where Satyabrata Mukherjee holds his durbar every day. Known as Jolu babu because of his sideburns, Satyabrata's political rise is the tale of the BJP's progress in the district. Once a Left stronghold, Nadia has since tilted right. The BJP has made striking progress, reflected in Satyabrata's stunning victory from Krishnagar in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. From a mere 8.06 per cent of the votes in the 1996 Assembly polls, the party's share leaped to almost 16 per cent in the 1998 general elections and improved to around 19 per cent in the polls the following year. Of course, the BJP was then in alliance with the Trinamul Congress, but even then the party has done enough to push back the Left. The CPM office in Nakashipara reflects the Left meltdown. It's desolate. There's not a single chair, only a broken table. Bolstered by his victory, Satyabrata has fielded his family in the battle for the Assembly to make the BJP's presence felt: wife Urmibala is contesting from Kaligunj and son Soumendranath is trying his luck at Nakashipara. All three are barristers at Calcutta High Court and for most of the year stay in their house at Ballygunge. A short prayer, followed by a quick breakfast and the family is off for the day. Satyabrata, who is the Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers, is overseeing the campaign. 'I am helping them as far as I can. I have to perform my duties as minister but I have taken a few days leave from my party to help my son and wife run their campaign. They need my guidance,' says the man who beat the CPM's Dilip Chakraborty by 22,234 votes in 1999. Soumendranath, who has a first class M.A. (Economics) degree from Calcutta University and studied law at Cambridge, says if it hadn't been for his profession, he may have been a prospective Sourav Ganguly. 'I captained the Doon School cricket team. But I can't practise cricket as I now practise law. But remember, sportsmen have a strong determination and I'm contesting the election to win it,' says the 45-year-old. 'Initially, my father had objected to my candidature as too much involvement in politics might harm my profession. But he has managed both jobs pretty well. I'm following in his footsteps and I believe I will also win.' His 66-year-old mother is depending largely on her husband to run her campaign. 'I visit my constituency with my husband every morning as he knows the locality better than I do. I don't know whether I'll win but the people in my constituency are listening to what I'm telling them,' says Urmibala. Satyabrata says he is confident of a good performance as he has been nourishing his constituency for a long time. 'In Kaligunj, I have sanctioned Rs 1.53 crore from my MP's quota. In Nakashipara, I've given Rs 1.40 crore for development work,' he says. Both Assembly segments have seen a flurry in road construction, tubewell installation and electrification work over the past few months. But his rivals disagree. 'It will not be very easy for the BJP to purchase votes this time. People want a change in government and they know that the BJP has hardly any existence in the district,' says Kallol Khan, Trinamul's Nadia district convener and candidate from Nakashipara. If Trinamul is upbeat, the CPM realises that it will be difficult for its sitting MLA Sheikh Khabiruddin Ahmed, who won by a little over 1,400 votes in 1996, to retain the constituency. But Ashu Ghosh, the CPM's Nadia district secretary, puts up a bold front. 'It will not be very difficult for us to defeat the Congress and Trinamul this time,' he says.