The World Realizes Too Late
October 22, 2009 – 4:30 AM
Jadavpur – Aritra's Villa
The city was asleep, wrapped in the quiet hum of the early morning. The streets of Kolkata were deserted, save for the occasional murmur of a rickshaw passing in the distance. Inside Aritra's villa, however, sleep was an impossible luxury.
He sat motionless in the living room, the glow of the television screen flickering across his face. Beside him, Katherine lay curled up on the couch, lost in sleep, her breath slow and steady. She had tried to stay awake, but exhaustion had finally overtaken her.
The television was tuned to National Election Network (NEN), one of India's leading media outlets, which was about to begin its marathon election results coverage.
Aritra hadn't closed his eyes for even a second.
The next few hours would decide everything.
He leaned forward slightly, his fingers interlocked, watching. Waiting. Calculating.
5:00 AM – The First Round of Counting Begins
The anchor, Rajiv Khanna, took center stage, standing in front of a massive election board. The newsroom behind him buzzed with analysts, data experts, and political commentators, each of them eager to "predict the obvious" before the first results rolled in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Election Results 2009! We are live across the nation, bringing you real-time updates as counting begins in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Arunachal Pradesh!"
The screen split into multiple feeds—reporters stationed at counting centers, political leaders arriving at party headquarters, and, most importantly, the final exit poll predictions.
"Before we begin, let's take a look at the final exit polls!" Rajiv said confidently, gesturing toward the screen.
The numbers appeared.
Final Exit Poll Predictions
Maharashtra – 288 seats
United Progress Front (UPF) – 160 seats
Maharashtra National Bloc (MNB) – 98 seats
Independent & Others – 30 seats
Bhavishya Vikas Morcha (BVM) – 0 seats
Haryana – 90 seats
United Progress Front (UPF) – 45 seats
People's Democratic Party (PDP) – 40 seats
Independent & Others – 3 seats
Bhavishya Vikas Morcha (BVM) – 0 seats
Arunachal Pradesh – 60 seats
United Progress Front (UPF) – 42 seats
National Democratic League (NDL) – 15 seats
Independent & Others – 3 seats
Bhavishya Vikas Morcha (BVM) – 0 seats
The panelists smirked.
"Well, I think it's safe to say this election is as good as over," Rajiv chuckled. "UPF is sweeping Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh, while PDP is holding strong in Haryana. But, folks, let's not forget the biggest loser of the night—Bhavishya Vikas Morcha."
One of the senior analysts laughed.
"BVM was nothing more than an experiment gone wrong. This is what happens when people think elections can be won through Twitter trends and fancy AI-generated campaigns."
Another analyst nodded.
"You can't beat decades of caste-based and religion-driven vote banks with a few viral slogans. Politics doesn't work like that."
The entire panel laughed as if they had already written off BVM before a single vote was counted.
Aritra watched silently.
His expression remained unreadable, but his fingers tapped lightly against the couch.
Beside him, Katherine shifted slightly in her sleep, but she did not wake.
6:30 AM – First Results Start Rolling In
🚨 LIVE UPDATE: FIRST ROUND RESULTS INCOMING 🚨
"And here we go!" Rajiv declared, "We have our first leads from the counting centers!"
The numbers appeared on the screen.
Maharashtra (After Round 1 – 288 Seats)
UPF – 102 leads
MNB – 85 leads
Independents & Others – 20 leads
BVM – 0 leads
Haryana (After Round 1 – 90 Seats)
UPF – 30 leads
PDP – 25 leads
Independents & Others – 2 leads
BVM – 0 leads
Arunachal Pradesh (After Round 1 – 60 Seats)
UPF – 35 leads
NDL – 12 leads
Independents & Others – 3 leads
BVM – 0 leads
The panel erupted in laughter.
"And just like that, BVM is wiped off the map!" Rajiv chuckled. "I don't think they'll even win a single seat tonight!"
One of the political party spokespersons scoffed.
"This was never a serious competition. BVM was like a stray dog barking at an elephant."
Aritra exhaled slowly. Perfect.
The first few rounds always belonged to the established players.
But things were about to change.
8:30 AM – The First Signs of Change
The newsroom remained smug as Round 4 results were announced.
But suddenly, a reporter in Nagpur interrupted.
"We are seeing something… unusual in multiple booths! In several districts, BVM's vote share is rising sharply!"
The studio fell silent.
"Wait, what?" Rajiv frowned. "That can't be right."
🚨 LIVE UPDATE: Round 4 Counting Results 🚨
Maharashtra (After Round 4 – 288 Seats)
UPF – 110 leads
MNB – 82 leads
Independents & Others – 22 leads
BVM – 8 leads
Haryana (After Round 4 – 90 Seats)
UPF – 32 leads
PDP – 28 leads
Independents & Others – 3 leads
BVM – 4 leads
Arunachal Pradesh (After Round 4 – 60 Seats)
UPF – 30 leads
NDL – 10 leads
Independents & Others – 4 leads
BVM – 6 leads
The anchor was visibly uncomfortable now.
"Alright, folks, let's stay calm. These are just early fluctuations."
But the BVM trend kept growing.
By Round 9, BVM was in second place in every state.
🚨 LIVE UPDATE: Round 9 Counting Results 🚨
Maharashtra: UPF 120, BVM 85, MNB 80.
Haryana: UPF 35, BVM 25, PDP 30.
Arunachal Pradesh: UPF 28, BVM 22, NDL 10.
Katherine stirred, half-awake now. She blinked at Aritra, noticing the tension in his posture.
"Why are you so tense?" she murmured. "This… doesn't concern you, right?"
Aritra didn't answer.
Because the final rounds were coming.
And the real chaos was about to begin.