Crystal Ball/K N Rao

Fresh elections will not take place until February 1998

From the day Sitaram Kesri called Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda "nikamma", and then plotted his downfall with ruthless speed, there has been talk of a mid-term poll among politicians. Now, after what they refer to as Deve Gowda's behuda (uncouth) April 11 speech, all chances of a reconciliation between the Congress and the United Front seem to have ended.

Will there be a mid-term poll? I'd like, at this point, to preach a sermon through an anecdote.

Once upon a time, an exasperated, middle-aged, orthodox Hindu woman told her husband that she would drown herself in the river during the monsoon. The husband answered, "We are living in extremely bad times. The frog who are croaking outside in the rain have developed carnivorous habits. Between the male and the female, they relish a woman's flesh more. Let the rainy season end and then do what you like."

The housewife postponed the day of her suicide.

But Delhi does not have a sense of humour - instead, it distinguishes itself through its sense of rumour. Perhaps, Delhi lost its sense of humour after the first Battle of Panipat (1526), where Ibrahim Lodi lost to Babur.

The spate of rumours, some of which are mentioned below, managed to ruin even my astrological objectivity.

1. Sitaram Kesri now says that Deve Gowda is gone, let the UF elect any new leader and the Congress will support it from outside, as before. Many pro-Narasimha Rao followers shouted down the proposal saying that they had been assured that the Congress would form the government and the UF would join it.

2. Sitaram Kesri did all this to save himself because Deve Gowda's government had been implicating Kesri in all types of criminal cases since March 4. If that is so, it is not on any issue but his own fear of imprisonment that impelled Kesri to sacrifice an entire party and land everyone in a situation when a mid-term poll appears to be inevitable.

3. The United Front is no more united. It is only bravado and bluster. There exists a secret understanding already. The details will be known later.

What are astrological indications of a mid-term poll? As I see it, Rahu will transit into Simha in the last week of June and stay there for 18 months. Anytime in those 18 months, the elections may take place. But Mars will have trigger it off, which cannot happen till February or, later, late September or early October 1998.

In 1989, I had got done a major research on planets and elections. On that basis, every prediction I made about general election turned out to be correct. The nearest we come to the possibility of a mid-term poll is post-September 20 and not before.

When and how will the deadlock be resolved? The dates can be given on basis of the horoscopes of some top leaders, all of which are not available. Yet the possible dates are April 15 or 28 or May 6 or 8.

As far as a mid-term poll is concerned, the croaking frogs have to become carnivorous. But rainy season has yet to start and frogs, those whave not exported, yet have to start croaking.

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