The Campaign Part 4

Trisha saw herself in the mirror; she was wearing a sari almost after eight years! She had forgotten how elegant it looked on her. The campaign for the elections was about to begin, before that she had to mobilise support for her win.

In the past few weeks she observed how people in her area conducted their lives. She had four villages under her, Kibla being the biggest and most populated. But it was important for her to attract voters from the other villages too. Her parents tried their best to support her. Abhay however gave Trisha concrete ideas and plans of development. He was not interested in politics but was an active participant when it came to the welfare of the village people. He even helped Trisha with her campaign accounts.

‘Are you sure you want to spend money here?’ Abhay asked

‘These people don’t get sufficient water for their basic needs, if we can supply them water through hired tanks then maybe…’

‘Hired tanks will cost a lot of money and you wouldn’t be able to pull out many votes from this area, why spend here?’

‘Because when I came here last week these people wanted nothing but safe water to drink! They begged for it Abhay. Had you seen the lady who I talked to, you wouldn’t have argued on this’

‘But if you spend here then what about the two villages? Most important, how are you going to fund Kibla?’

‘How much will all our plans cost?’

‘Let say about fifty per cent extra of what you have already’

‘Fifty? Well, that’s a lot’

‘Yes, your schemes regarding the use of HYV seeds and handicrafts for livelihood will need a lot of funding and now this added cost of water’

‘Hmm… should I talk to Yogendra ji for more funds?’

‘Talk soon, it wouldn’t be easy to pull out party funds’ Abhay advised

 ‘That too but let’s try this. The party has a meeting scheduled next week anyways’

Trisha had been so caught up with her campaign preparations that she didn’t even get the time to assemble her team of helpers. Currently it was just her parents and Abhay, but she never felt the need of hiring a personal assistant until the local media started to contact her, she was having a tough time with her statements as now she couldn’t just say anything as it may harm her or the party.

Then one day Trisha found a girl waiting for her outside her residence, she had earlier called Trisha regarding the post of personal assistant.

‘And you must be Geetanjali’ and the girl nodded. She was definitely very young; in fact she seemed to be as old as her sister.  They shook hands, the girl seemed pretty confidant to Trisha. Trisha had no idea on what basis she was going to evaluate her; she just knew that she needed a personal assistant desperately!

‘Why don’t you start with your introduction’ Trisha said

‘Well, I am Geetanjali Singh; I am a graduate in from Delhi University. I completed my Economics Hon’s…’

 ‘Good enough. Now tell me why you want this job?’

‘I think I am good at whatever I do and I have very good interactive and social skills’

‘Okay, give me one reason to trust you’

‘I have no reason, you trust people when you have faith in them. And to be honest this question is actually for you “Can you trust me” but from my side I will do my best’

Trisha smiled, she did qualify for her. She even got good vibes out of Geetanjali and her gut said to trust her.

‘Okay Geetanjali, I have tested you. Now when would you like to join?’

‘That’s it? But your requirements said that…’

‘My requirements said a lot of things and honestly I didn’t even type it’

‘Oh, I would love to join from today’ she said enthusiastically 

‘Well then ride on, from now on you will stay with me in this house’

‘With you?’ asked Geetanjali

‘Yes, if you like’ Trisha cleared

‘I will be most glad, but first of all can use the bathroom’

‘Oh yeah, go freshen up. Shyama, the maid will show you your room, I will see you at dinner’

And with that Geetanjali departed. After a few minutes Abhay came to meet Trisha

‘So how did it go with your personal assistant?’

‘Oh she was great, I hired her’

‘Wait, did she match up to all the requirements?’

‘No, she matched up to my requirements’

‘What are you trying to say?’

‘Nothing! Did you prepare the draft of the policies and schemes?’

‘Yeah I did, but I think I will need your help at some places. How are you going to convince Yogendra ji for more funds?’

‘That is what I was thinking about; Papa said that the party is very strict when it comes to the funds. He said most of time it is given to the most promising candidate’

‘Well that’s what I was thinking, that’s why I decided this’

He presented Trisha a list of people, at first Trisha couldn’t understand any of it but later it struck her

‘Sponsors!’

‘Yes’

‘Abhay you are a genius!’ and she pecked him on his cheeks, he didn’t mind that.

 ‘But how are we going to get sponsors?’

‘Well I planned that too, if Yogendra ji refuses you extra funds tomorrow then we will set up a meeting with each one of these, discuss our policies, gain their support etc.’

‘And if we don’t get any of sponsors?’ Trisha asked

‘Then we are simply dead’ Abhay replied without hesitation

And Trisha laughed. Later in the night before going to bed, she revised her presentation. She was confidant with her work. Just then someone called her

‘Hello?’

‘Is this Miss Trishala Rao from the Raj Mandal Party?’

 ‘Yes speaking, may I know who this is?’

‘Miss Rao, we are calling from the Times magazine, we want your interview for our latest article on Women Empowerment, would you like contribute?’

 ‘I would love too!’

‘That’s great! I will get in touch with you about the further details and thank you for your time’

For Trisha this was a huge opportunity, till now she was being called by local news writers, but now she was being given the opportunity to voice her opinion to the whole nation!