Used to pulling things out of thin air and making entire buildings vanish, magician P C Sorcar Jr would be hoping he has a trick up his sleeve to get voters to crown him in this constituency where he faces, among others, two doctors, as many school teachers and also a carpenter.
One of the doctors in the fray is sitting TMC MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, a gynaecologist. She had won this seat in 2009 by a margin of over 1.2 lakh votes over her nearest Left candidate.
The Left nominee this time is 69-year-old All India Forward Block leader Dr Mortoza Hossain, a general physician. Incidentally, Hossain has a namesake in the fray here although the Independent candidate spells his name Morttaja Hosen. This second Morttaja is a school teacher by profession.
Making his electoral debut as a BJP candidate, Sorcar would be counting on the Narendra 'Modi wave'- which the party claims is sweeping the country- to propel him to Lok Sabha. Gujarat Chief Minister Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, has also campaigned here in favour of Sorcar.
BJP, largely seen as being a marginal player in Bengal politics, is this time challenging the ruling TMC and the Left for a slice of the vote pie in the state.
The party has roped in well-known names to contest on its behalf in Bengal and has handed tickets to the likes of music director Bappi Lahiri and singer Babul Supriyo, among others.
Justifying its decision to field celebrities, BJP state president Rahul Sinha had said, "This time the fight is between TMC and BJP in (Bengal). As they (TMC) have fielded so many celebrities, to counter that we have also fielded stars."
Sorcar, who also holds a Ph.D in Applied Psychology, has claimed that he had read the public mind and was sure that voters are this time looking for change. He also uses the anti-incumbency card and claims that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is in for a rude shock when the results are declared on May 16.
Sorcar has held roadshows across the different localities of this constituency and even performed some quick tricks in response to the public's calls for him to "do magic".
But if Sorcar can boast that he can do 'magic' here to bring about a change for the better in this constituency, his TMC rival Ghosh Dastidar can claim she has a finger on the pulse of the public mood.
