Indira Bhavan had been holding its breath since Friday morning. The Congress had just won big, and it was the day the newly-elected MLAs would bare their preference on a new chief minister. AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken had flown in to read the room in favour of the three contenders: K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and V D Satheesan -- one by one, in whispered conversations that would shape the next government.
For the first time in the KPCC headquarters’ recent history, journalists weren’t allowed in. A small army of reporters, photographers and camera crew were camped outside the main entrance. A few legislators stopped to speak. Most walked past with a smile and a wave.
The morning stretched into afternoon. Satheesan left in a jiffy. We stayed put. If Wasnik or Maken chose that exact moment to emerge, the story would be gone. Then they emerged.
Maken spoke first. I was losing ground -- to bigger TV cameras and cheekier crew. I pulled a chair and climbed it. That’s when I noticed Wasnik. He had papers in one hand. Something about the way he held them — careful, deliberate — intrigued me. Could those be the preference sheets? But I didn’t have a clean shot.
Wasnik turned to the media. Finding myself at a disadvantage, I slipped away and positioned myself next to his car.
Wasnik had his say and moved towards the vehicle, with P C Vishnunadh clearing the path. For a split second the papers came into view — before Vishnunadh stepped up, and Wasnik’s shawl covered them completely. I stood there, certain I had missed it.
Then Vishnunadh shifted his stance. The shawl moved. The papers were there. Three or four clicks. It was over in a second.
Some moments you work for. Some moments find you. This one, I believe, was grace.