Astrologer Chandrasiri Bandara was arrested by the police in June after he had predicted that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was up against a bleak political future. After a serving a period in jail, Bandara's future looked brighter as he quickly realigned his own stars and also that of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
On Sunday, Bandara told news agency AFP that Sri Lanka could still see unrest and political and economic turmoil until August 2012. Though in June he had said Rajapaksa would lose presidency, Bandara's new prediction says the stars were now in favour of Rajapaksa.
``The planetary position from September (2009) to August 2012 is very bad for Sri Lanka,'' Bandara said. ``I clearly see a period of turmoil. During this time President Rajapakse will be the head of state.''
Much like in India, astrology plays an important part in lives of the politicians. Rajapaksa is known to consult an astrologist from India.
Even popular newspapers interviewed astrologers to predict the winner of Tuesday's election. The Sunday Lankadeepa, the largest selling Sinhalese newspaper, had two astrologers conveniently predicting wins for both Rajapaksa and his closest contender Sarath Fonseka.
``The current planetary position is similar to what we saw in 1994 when there was a change of government,'' AFP reported astrologer KAU Sarathchandra as saying and predicting that Fonseka would win.
{{/usCountry}}``The current planetary position is similar to what we saw in 1994 when there was a change of government,'' AFP reported astrologer KAU Sarathchandra as saying and predicting that Fonseka would win.
{{/usCountry}}But JAS Jayakody disagreed. In the same newspaper, he said the time at which Rajapakse presented his nomination papers favoured victory for him and not Fonseka. "That time is very inauspicious for Fonseka and that is why he will lose," Jayakody wrote.
What has tickled astrologers more is the fact Rajapaksa and Fonseka are both born on the 18th of the month though in different months and years.
And it's not only Lankan astrologers who seemed to be busy looking at celestial signs. Ramesh Guru, an Indian astrologer based in Tamil Nadu, forecast that the current stars favour Rajapaksa.
But both Rajapaksa and Fonseka know that finally the favour would have to come from the people and not the stars.