If Mitt Romney has drawn level with Barack Obama after the third debate of the United States presidential race, it could be because he has been receiving assistance from an unexpected quarter – the goddess Bagula Mukhi.
Cash, determination and adrenaline propel the US elections. But US citizen Kannubhai Patel decided to add the power of prayer on behalf of the Republican candidate.
The presiding deity of a tantric site at Nalkhed, 50 km from Shajapur town, he thought, may just swing the polls in Romney's favour. And at his request, a group of residents in Shajapur performed a nine-day yajna at the Bagula Mukhi Devi temple at Nalkhed.
Patel migrated to the US 20 years ago from Ahmedabad, said his friend Dushyant Vyas, who presided over the yajna. Today, he has a chain of motels and is a die-hard Republican supporter.
“He called me from his home in Memphis, and asked me to perform the yajna for Romney's victory,” said Vyas. The 9-day ritual required 16 kg of pure ghee and nearly 100 kg barley. Altogether, 16 people participated in it.
Asked about the neck-and-neck results after the latest debate between Obama and Romney, Vyas said, “There is still time. The result will be favourable”.