Astrologers lost challenge to predict poll results: rationalists

The Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti, a rationalists' body with more than 100 branches in Maharashtra, says that astrologers who attempted to predict the outcome of the State Assembly elections have failed and that none could win a prize of Rs. 21 lakh announced by them for the right prediction.

Astrologers have failed to predict the outcome of the Oct-2009 Assembly elections, according to a rationalist body in Maharashtra. The photo shows Congress party supporters celebrating the victory of their candidate, D. K. Bansal, from the Panchkula seat in Haryana on Oct. 22, 2009. The Congress won the elections in the three States were polls were held: Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Haryana. Photo: PTI

Astrologers who took up the challenge by a rationalist body and attempted to predict the outcome of the State Assembly elections have failed thoroughly, the association said today.

Soon after the announcement of the Assembly elections, Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANS) in Maharashtra — which believes that astrology has no scientific basis — had invited the astrologers to foretell the results by looking at the horoscopes of candidates and political parties’ position.

Contestants were expected to choose any 10 candidates, obtain their horoscopes, and predict how they would fare.

“We got some 50 replies. The astrologers have failed 101 per cent — anyone can come and go through the file at our office,” claimed Narendra Dabholkar of ANS.

“We had made it clear that participating astrologers must also explain how they arrive at the predictions — mustn’t be a mere guesswork. But, almost nobody could give us reasoning behind the predictions”.

“We believe that astrologers are nothing but sellers of dream. That is why we want to expose them,” he said.

The ANS, which has over 100 branches in the State, had also announced a prize of Rs 21 lakh for the right prediction, Mr. Dabholkar said.