Invoking the divine ahead of poll results in Rajasthan

With polling for 199 of 200 seats in the Rajasthan assembly over and the results expected on Sunday, candidates have taken to visiting temples and meeting astrologers, anxious to know what lies ahead.

In Churu constituency, polling was postponed to Dec 13 because of the death the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.

Astrologers say they have been getting frantic calls from nervous candidates since last Sunday, when polling ended. Many candidates have sought appointments with astrologers, to help foretell what the future will bring them. The future, though, is only as far as next Sunday.

"They are not concerned with opinion or exit polls, they just want to know what the future will bring," said Samvit Ashish, a Jaipur-based astrologer.

"Since Sunday evening, I have been getting regular, frantic phone calls from candidates who want to know what their stars foretell. First, they want to know if they will become MLAs or not; then, if they will then become ministers," Ashish told IANS.

"The candidates are ready with their date, time and place of birth details, and they are busy seeking time from astrologers like me. They also express a willingness to undertake whatever puja or hawan necessary to become MLAs," Ashish said.

"There are those who ask if it would help if they chose a particular colour of clothes on the counting day," he said.

Devendra Sharma, another of Jaipur-based astrologer, said many candidates are finding the week-long wait for the results to be declared just too hard to bear.

Polling in the state was held Dec 1. Counting will happen on Dec 8.

"This time, the gap between polling day and counting day is big. So candidates like me have become anxious to know what fate has store. I have so far consulted at least four astrologers since Sunday," a BJP candidate said, on condition of anonymity.

Besides astrologers, the candidates are also seeking divine intervention, visiting temples.