Wannabe candidates are turning to astrologers and priests for success in the Rajasthan assembly elections. The aspirants want to know whether they will become "a legislator, a state minister or a cabinet minister".

 

 Hundreds of political leaders are queuing up at the doorsteps of astrologers and priests with requests to forecast their future and to organise special prayers for their success in the assembly elections.

 

 Polling for the 200 assembly seats in the state is slated for Dec 1.

 

 Several leading astrologers in the state told IANS, some on condition of anonymity, that the wannabe candidates are approaching them in huge numbers.

 

 "They have a basic question – whether they would get a ticket from two of the mainstream parties, BJP or the Congress, and whether they would be able to win. 

 

 "Or if they are going through some bad times, they request us to organise special prayers and also suggest appropriate stones so that defeat could be avoided in the upcoming elections," Anil Kumar, an astrologer told IANS.

 

 He added that most of the political leaders approaching him are concerned with Saturn's placement in their 'kundali', a map of heavenly bodies which shows the position of planets and their relation at birth.

 

 "They want to know if all the planets are well placed at the time of assembly election. If there are any hurdles, they want us to organise special prayers and suggest ways to remove them," said another astrologer.

 

 The candidates are also approaching priests to organise special prayers for improving their chances in elections.

 

 "Some want special prayers to be organised to please particular deities," said Rajendra Prasad Sharma, a priest.

 

 Another astrologer said that the Sun is considered the planet which has the most influence on the political future of an individual.

 

 "They want to ensure that the sun is well placed. To make the Zodiac sign powerful, they want to organise special prayers," said the astrologer.

 

 A majority of those approaching astrologers and priests are young aspirants.

 

 "They want to know to what level they would be able to reach in their political career, whether they would become a legislator, a state minister or a cabinet minister," said an astrologer.

 

 –Indo-Asian News Service

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