Astrologers put Modi at top as next PM

Astrologers in Tamil Nadu put BJP's Narendra Modi at the top of the list of candidates for India's next prime minister, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa too is a contender.

On Friday, 39 members of the Lok Sabha will get elected from Tamil Nadu, while the remaining 806 candidates who had contested in the state will face disappointment.

Of the 55 million voters in the state, around 73 % exercised their democratic right. Fifty five women and one transgender were among the contestants.

Votes will be counted from around 65,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) at 42 counting centres in the state, the Election Commission said.

Apart from the contestants, it will be a litmus test for psephologists and astrologers who have predicted the ruling AIADMK will win anything between 20-32 seats of the 40 it contested (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry).

City-based astrologer Harikesanallur Venkataraman told IANS: "Modi will certainly become the prime minister."

"The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win 333 seats and AIADMK 33. The numbers look fancy, but this is not based on any calculations but my gut feeling," he said.

Venkataraman said a major shake up will take place in the government in December due to changes in the planetary positions.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government will be there "but there may be changes at the top leadership", he said.

Suresh Alvar, a numerology hobbyist, told IANS: "Based on the numbers, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has all the possibilities of becoming the prime minister."

"People who are ruled by the number eight will get positions unexpectedly. If they desire for anything, then it may not click. Interestingly, Modi's birth date is 17 and the sum total is 8," Alvar said.

The candidates are also keeping their fingers crossed.

BJP candidate from Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency H. Raja told IANS over phone: "I am not tense. I had been to a temple and came back."

The battle for ballots was between the AIADMK, DMK, the NDA comprising the BJP, DMDK, PMK, MDMK and others, the Left Front, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Though Jayalalithaa does not face any threat to her leadership or to her government, the result will be like a report card on her rule since May 2011.

A poor performance will be a big loss of face for the AIADMK chief as her party members have been terming her the next prime minister.

In the case of the DMK, a decent show is important for bargaining for positions at the centre - in case of a fractured verdict.

Similarly, the political future of DMDK's Vijaykant hinges on the party winning a considerable number of seats and joining a BJP-led government in Delhi, experts say.

The Congress fought a lone battle with a couple of its leading commanders like P. Chidambaram and G.K. Vasan deciding to sit out.

For parties like PMK and MDMK, the election is crucial as they have to secure at least six % votes to have the status of a recognised political party.