After Annihilation - Would you want to survive?

Chapter 17

On the sixth day of my putting up in Geetika's former OPD, in an unsurprising development of events, Kalkani's leader, Gulshan Prakash, withdrew his nomination due to "ill health". We knew that the general's support had just increased by the 240-plus-member tribe of Kalkani.

On the following thirtieth of the month, a verbal fight broke out between Pranav and General Varishth during the election rally in the announcement hall. Pranav accused Varishth of allowing the Kalkani tribe to harbour drugs and weapons. The general branded Pranav a liar who was maligning his image without proof.

Since the prime minister's demise, the administrative power in the city was equally distributed among the members of the PMC, but the security forces had again fallen under Varishth's control. In addition to being a member of the committee, the man still retained his position of general. Thus, there was no chance of a security check taking place, even if requested.

It was my turn to speak, and according to plan, I first discussed the points of my manifesto with the public. There was a big gathering, and I received a more than satisfactory applause after the first part of my speech was over. Then I went on the offensive.

"I have been informed that a complaint has been filed against the qualification of General Varishth's candidacy," I said.

This created an instant murmur among the crowd.

"I am not at liberty to announce the reason, as it has still not been officially released by the PMC." I said no more, but the seed had been planted.

That night there was a ruckus in the hospital made by Kalkani's goons. Geetika's former OPD room was broken into, but I had already moved in with Aarav. Vishwaroopum was staying in the cabin in front of us, and some of his most trusted people, the local villagers he had known for many years and survivors who had been a part of the city construction, had taken up residence around our cabin.

For the last twenty days, Aarav and Vishwaroopum had been with our supporters, busy getting the registrations of the room numbers exchanged and converting Aarav and my tiny newly married home into a secure fortress.

Some of the guards who had a bone to pick with the general had agreed to ally with Vishwaroopum and consequently with me. They saw Pranav only as a friend of the general, assuming he would lend his support to the general if he came to power, due to Pranav's prior closeness with Varishth.

We were legally married according to the city's rule and our home was not just a sanctum of married bliss, but also the central office of my election campaign. Aarav had had to give up his job at the communications office for the time being once our marriage was official, for safety reasons, and he passed over his responsibility of heading the school over to Dr Riddhima, Yashika's mother.

The day we registered our marriage, Lakshmi came to congratulate us. She was very happy to see Aarav, the man who had saved her and her baby's life, was now happily married. She told me the families in the farms and the women of 1st Street were in support of me. Her words motivated me.

Though Pranav was a strong orator and his campaign was going better than Shakuntala, he was still not as strong an opposition as the general. For though he had always held influence in the city, and survivors who had been a part of the construction of the city were his supporters, he had never been a very popular public figure.

He never attacked me in his speeches. Actually, he never mentioned me at all. By and by it dawned on to me that Pranav had no desire to win against me, because if he decided to do so, his tactic would have to include attacking me.

I hadn't visited him since that day in the admin office lounge, and he had avoided me as well. We only met every fifteenth day at the announcement hall during campaign events. Sometimes we saw each other in the cafeteria, but during meals Aarav was always with me, and Pranav did not look in our direction. Instead, he had begun to hold unofficial casual talks with people in the cafeteria, listening to their problems and offering solutions in exchange for their support to his candidacy.