What the stars foretell: Lok Sabha elections are boom time for astrologers

Astrologers have seen a spike in queries related to general elections.

Astrologers are having one of the busiest times of their lives this poll season in India. They are being flooded with enquiries as are astrology platforms, which are seeing a spike in queries about various aspects of the general elections.

First-timers and veterans, politicians and the general public, and even social media influencers –everyone want to know how to prepare for the elections and how the polls will pan out. And some are even paying as much as “six-digit-figures” a month to get that edge over others.

A 47-year-old municipal councillor, contesting the parliamentary election for the first time this year reached out to astrology platform Asttrolok for private consultation. "The candidate wanted to to know if this is the right year for them to contest the election, their winning possibilities, and their future position in their party upon winning,” said Alok Khandelwal, Founder, Asttrolok.

“We also had a 75-year-old member of parliament, who was curious to know if they would win their constituency this time or not, for their rival had been a stronger one this year."

Another astrology platform, Astroyogi, recorded a 10x increase in enquiries and consultations about the parliamentary elections as compared to the 2019 polls.

"Vedic astrology and Prashna Kundli (birth chart of a question) are the preferred mode of consultation used (for queries related to general elections)," said Aditya Kapoor, chief operating officer of Astroyogi. He estimates that the spike in queries for the 2024 polls is due to increased uncertainty and a higher uptake of astrology apps.

On NumroVani, election-related queries and consultations climbed over 32 percent in April from levels in January and are expected to go up further, said Sidhharrth S Kumaar, its chief astrologer and founder. He said the queries increase as the poll date approaches.

"For example, if a place is expected to go to polls in a specific phase, we witness a significant rise 24-28 hours closer to the poll date," he said.

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Cosmic insights

Numerologist and tarot card reader Siddhii Barrole has seen a noticeable increase in election-related inquiries. Barrole, who is also a reiki (healing technique) grandmaster with social media platform Cosmofeed, said candidates from various parties have been consulting her.

Everyone is curious and seeking cosmic insights to help them understand and navigate the political landscape, said Prasidhi Aneja, a celebrity astrologer and psychic who is fascinated to see how the intrigue of the elections has captured the interest of people regardless of their profession or age.

"People are buzzing me with a lot of questions about the upcoming elections in India. It's like there's a sudden burst of curiosity. And it's only going to get more intense as time goes on, as more people are showing interest in Indian politics, trying to understand what's going on and what will be the result," said Pandit Jagannath Guruji, an astrolger.

Curiosity is very high, and people are excited to know who will come to power, said Kumaar of NumroVani, who has been getting more queries from the general public this year than in 2019, when mainly people linked to political parties wanted to know the outcome of the polls.

"My personal consultations have also seen a tremendous increase. We have set up special war rooms wherein we are helping candidates not only on their chances of winning but also keeping a track on their competitors and guiding them with real-time positional updates based on astrology movements and how they and their competitors are doing," Kumaar said.

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Who is consulting?

Those consulting astrologers include first-timers, veterans, and the youth – all keen to know the outcome of the general elections, being held over seven phases from April 19 to June 4, which is counting day.

IAS officers and political leaders across parties including the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have approached Pandit Jagannath Guruji.

"Some of the political leaders who did not get any seats this time approached me to know the future of the party along with theirs," he said.

Many youngsters were among people from the political sphere who consulted Pandit Mukesh Bhardwaj, an astrologer in Vastushastra (science of architecture).

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"Young politicians want to know if they have a future in this field or not. They think luck is a big factor in politics, hence they come to consult us. Many youth belonging to student politics who are keen to know their future have come to us," he said.

While most questions are from candidates and their supporters, even the people in general have become curious about what the stars foretell about the polls, said Manisha Koushik, an astrologer.

Gen Z (people born in 1997-2012) users on NumroVani have flooded the platform with queries.

"They want to look more informed on social media. Also, around 55 percent users in the age group of 30-40 have come on the platform with queries related to the 2024 elections. Around 60 percent of them are working professionals who wish to understand the election results for the probable impact on their job and the stock market," Kumaar said.

About 20 percent of those who come to the platform with poll-related queries are influencers.

Also read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How do EVMs and VVPATs work?

"The influencers want to be sure of the people who are winning as they do not wish to associate themselves with a losing candidate for social media campaigns," he said.

Why are they consulting?

The curiosity of the people covers a wide range. What is the auspicious time astrologically to file nominations? What would be the ideal day to file nominations? Which political party is believed to be victorious? What is the probable margin political parties can expect in this year’s election? These are some of the queries that Pandit Jagannath Guruji has been addressing lately.

"Some politicians want to know if they would be assigned a portfolio by their parties after winning the election or not. Some even express a wish to have an idea of the margin by which their rivals would lose the election," said Khandelwal.

A significant portion of the queries is about individual leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal and Yogi Adityanath, said Manyyaa Adlakkha, an astrologer and numerologist and founder of Vastuguru Manyyaa.

"People are eager to know about the prospects of these leaders and the likelihood of their political ascendancy. There's a notable interest in astrological explanations for certain political practices such as the significance of the number 24 frequently used by ministers. Explaining the astrological symbolism behind numbers like 2, 4, and 6, which are associated with attributes like mindfulness, decision-making, and success, adds a layer of mystique to political discussions," she said.

Many sportspersons and people from the film industry are checking with Pandit Mukesh Bhardwaj if politics is for them.

"When it comes to personal consultations, individuals have hired pandits. I am working with a prospective candidate for whom I have deployed six pandits for the last six months for mantra chanting. We plan to continue this till June 4 and even after that to make sure the person becomes state minister," Kumaar said.

Cost of consultation

On astrology platforms, the cost of consultation ranges from Rs 5 to Rs 200 per minute. Platforms that operate on a per-session model for 15-30 minutes charge users Rs 1,000-3,000. Personal consultations go for up to six-digit figures per month, the NumroVani founder said.

"For this cost, a prospective candidate receives all services, starting from which foot to keep on the ground when one wakes up, the time when election rallies can be addressed, what to wear, when to file nomination, when to post a social media message. It also depends on how much effort an astrologer has to put in - whether he has to travel with the client, whether it is one-time consultation or a recurring support, and whether the astrologer is exclusive to the client or he/she has the freedom to work with others," he said.

Kumaar also runs the Life Accelerator Programme to help political party candidates with statistics on the possibility of winning and then help them with interventions such as pujas.

"This election will not be fought by candidates but by strategists and astrologers," he said.