Chapter 1
He was the youngest person to take office in the whole country.
Many of his critics said it was his charisma that made him the youngest Chief Minister of the country, while his supporters and party activists alike boasted of his academic qualifications, high intellect, integrity, ethics, empathy, and compassion for helping him achieve such a feat at such a tender age.
However, the national and global media credited his political acumen, visionary leadership, strategic thinking, and excellent oratory skills for both his success and the state's development.
The social and economic reforms he had implemented changed the present and future of the state, taking the employment rate to a record high.
The development of the state's economy before and after he took office could be clearly differentiated, with a significant increase in the State GDP.
After he took office, the state saw an enormous flow of investments, and its performance in inter-state trade also improved drastically.
At every step, he kept proving to the people that choosing him had been their best decision.
Chief Minister's Residence
"Shaurya... your breakfast is ready," an elderly lady in her early fifties said, seeing him walk down the stairs in his formals.
His father, right from the first day he stepped into politics, had advised him to wear traditional clothes to attract people and their votes.
He believed wearing such clothes made leaders seem closer to the people.
But Shaurya never believed in putting on a facade to attract voters.
Instead, he chose to win the crowd by simply being himself.
He had always preferred wearing formals to work.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sudha... I'll be there in ten," he said with a polite smile before turning to his Chief Secretary, who also served as his Principal Advisor, Mr. Naveen Sharma.
"Good morning, sir," Naveen greeted Shaurya with a smile filled with respect and admiration.
"Good morning, Mr. Sharma," Shaurya replied with an acknowledging nod.
"Need your signatures on these papers, sir," he said, handing the file to Shaurya.
"Was the issue settled, or do we need more troops to get it under control?" Shaurya asked, referring to the latest case of communal violence that had erupted in the western part of the city.
"It subsided as you predicted, sir. Your decision for preemptive action helped a lot," Mr. Sharma said. Shaurya nodded.
Naveen knew Shaurya had barely slept for the past few days, as he had kept tabs every half hour on the developments in the sensitive areas and called for immediate action without delay, thereby handling the issue successfully.
Though he did not have as much experience as most of his predecessors, with his deep sense of empathy and strategic thinking, he had prevented major mishaps.
Not a single life was lost, even though the riot was the first of its kind in many years.
"What about the draft I asked you to prepare?" Shaurya asked.
"It's ready, sir. We can discuss it now before the cabinet meeting at 3:00 PM today," Naveen said.
"Sure, Mr. Sharma. Arrange a meeting with the core administrative staff, preferably in the first half. I want to discuss this with them first," Shaurya said.
"But sir... disclosing this to the administrative staff without discussing it with the cabinet ministers might not go well with them... you know how they are..." Naveen trailed off.
He was a senior bureaucrat with more than two decades of experience in administration and civil services.
He knew how these things worked. Cabinet ministers would create havoc if they got to know about this, so he decided to warn Shaurya.
Though he knew Shaurya Singh Shekhawat never listened to anyone when it came to duty and the welfare of the people, this was a policy that would benefit the public, and Shaurya wanted expert opinion before it was finalized.
Those experts were definitely not his cabinet ministers.
"Mr. Sharma, you very well know, I play politics only during elections. The rest five years, I only do duty," Shaurya said, proving Naveen's understanding of him right once again. "Arrange the meeting. I want every single head of the administrative division to be present."
"Yes sir... will be done," Naveen said before leaving.
Shaurya walked to the dining hall and gave a small smile to Mrs. Sudha, his cook and caretaker of the Chief Minister's official residence since he took office. But he had known Mrs. Sudha since he was a baby. She had worked at his father's house and had taken care of him since childhood.
"Thanks for the very tasty breakfast, but I would have been happier if it was healthy too," Shaurya said, and Sudha shook her head.
"Healthy breakfast is what you eat every day. It's your cheat day today, so have this without any complaints," Sudha said, making him smile.
"You know I can't afford to fall sick..." Shaurya said, taking a morsel of aloo parantha filled with butter.
"You won't," Sudha said with a smile.
Shaurya relished his breakfast, had his juice, and then walked back to his study. He had two more meetings with his Chief Secretary, Media Advisor, Political Advisor, and Legal Advisor.
After concluding his brief meetings, he started for the Secretariat. As soon as he stepped outside, his head bodyguard opened the car door for him. He settled in, and Mr. Naveen got in from the other side. Both of them discussed work on their way to the Secretariat.
Everyone stood up to greet him as he walked past them.
He offered a polite smile while making his way toward his office.
He was one of the most charismatic leaders in the country; it was a known fact.
His positive aura and strong personality were among his biggest strengths, but his physical appearance only enhanced his popularity.
His sharp features, flawless skin tone, attractive eyes, trimmed beard, well-groomed hair, and his plain yet crisp formal shirts and pants never failed to turn heads.
He entered his office, and his eyes immediately fell on the nameplate placed on the mahogany table.
'Shaurya Singh Shekhawat,' it read, which instantly triggered his fury, but he maintained his calm.
"What's this?" he asked, turning towards his personal secretary, Shweta Gupta, and pointing at the replaced nameplate.
"Sorry sir, I gave your previous nameplate for polishing," she replied.
"I want it back within the next three hours, Mrs. Gupta," he said, dismissing her. She nodded and left.
Shweta did not understand what was so important about that nameplate that it angered him, something he rarely displayed. Well, technically, that was not anger at all, but if a calm and composed person like Shaurya even raised his tone by a few decibels, it was considered fury.
His meeting with the top administrative staff went well, and with their help, he got the bill redrafted.
As ordered by him, his personal secretary Shweta got his nameplate back within three hours, but she could not place it in the office as back-to-back confidential meetings were scheduled there, and she was not allowed inside.
So, she kept it with herself, deciding to replace it later.
Now that she compared the two boards, she noticed there was an extra 'T' in his original nameplate.
But none of the official documents carried that extra t.
She wondered if a modern man like their Chief Minister believed in numerology.
Well, she was partially right. Not him, but his better half believed in numerology—his estranged and unknown wife to the world, Mrs. Akansha Shaurya Shekhawat.
After the Cabinet meeting, Shaurya called all the top bureaucrats and district officials for another meeting.
He knew the opposition would not stay calm, and in order to maintain law and order, it was necessary to discuss all probable scenarios before proposing the bill in the State Legislative Assembly, better known as the Vidhan Sabha.
Shaurya stated his points and requirements and gave them enough powers to control the situation. Everyone dispersed after the concluding remarks.
"Mr. Sharma... Ask Akash to meet me in my office," Shaurya said to his Principal Advisor, who nodded and personally went to do the job. By the tone Shaurya used, he understood that the meeting needed to be confidential.
In the next fifteen minutes, Akash Dixit, IAS, entered the Chief Minister's office.
"Good evening, sir..." Akash greeted the CM respectfully. Shaurya nodded at him and signaled him to take a seat.
"Mr. Sharma... Kaafi raat hogyi hai (It's very late). Aap ghar jaa sakte hai (You can leave for the day)," Shaurya said.
Naveen nodded and left. Usually, he would not leave for home until Shaurya retired for the day or at least until he reached his official residence, but today was an exception.
He left for his place, knowing the discussion would not end anytime soon, and Shaurya would not appreciate him staying up late.