Jangipur (WB): He held many important jobs in the Government, from Finance Minister in Indira Gandhi's Cabinet to Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

He held important assignments in the party as a strategist and a trouble-shooter.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...
Political Parties in India

His political detractors see him as one of the leaders without a political base who surround the Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

But the dream of becoming a member of Lok Sabha has eluded him, having attempted twice but failed both times.

Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee is in full battle gear this time to prove that history does not repeat itself.

After a gap of 24 years, he is face-to-face with the voter at this predominantly Muslim-majority Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district adjoining Bangladesh.

He may not be sure about his chances in his fight against the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM) which has been winning the seat in the past elections, but the importance of being Pranab Mukherjee as Congress candidate has made the CPM jittery this time.

Mukherjee, who at 67 thinks he will have a last shot at getting into the Lok Sabha, is on a hectic campaign trail trying to strike a personal chord with voters.

He visits dusty villages. He embraces a toothless 80-year Muslim man, shakes hands with unwashed children and seeks votes with folded hands from poor women villagers, mostly families of Biri workers.

His message to the voters is - "You have elected a CPM candidate seven out of eight times since 1977 only to find bad roads, no worthwhile hospital, no girls college, no road connectivity. Please give a chance to the Congress this time."

At the numerous roadside meetings at Suti Assembly segment, he explains, "Sonia Gandhi was not allowing me to contest. She was worried whether I would be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the party after becoming a candidate. I told her how emotional the Jangipur Congress workers were about my candidature, she then gave the go-ahead," said Mukherjee.

The Congress Working Committee member is being portrayed as an outsider in comparison to his rival Abul Hasant Khan CPM, who is being depicted as a son of the soil.

"It is far from the truth that I am as an outsider. My ancestral house at Kirnahar is in nearby Birbhum district," Mukherjee was at pains to explain to voters.

An outpouring of support from Congress workers in the constituency to their national leader was evident. Mukherjee's nomination was the cementing factor in bringing together the rival factions of the party here on a common platform.