Jamshedpur, April 12: Candidates eyeing poll victory with much astrological calculation have got one basic criterion wrong: the exact time of birth.

The simple, yet crucial, timing has come as a deterrent to many, as city fortune-tellers have outright rejected their requests to predict chances of electoral triumph.

“We have refused to come up with predictions as most of the candidates are not aware about the time of their birth. Incorrect information about the time is bound to make the prediction go awry,” said S. Kumar Shastri, an astrologer and director of Centre for Astrological Study and Research.

According to him, the candidates who approached him were not armed with correct information related to their birth. “We have also asked practising astrologers registered with us not to make predictions if the candidates approach them,” Shastri added.

Apart from date of birth, timing and place are determining factors related to fortunes. Absence of correct information about any one of these factors would not help in making predictions, said Rakesh Pandey, also an astrologer. He said that he had turned down some candidates who had come to him for consultation.

Though a few candidates possess correct kundalis but these would not serve the purpose. “We can’t rely on kundalis, which are not correct. We also cannot prepare fresh ones because of lack of information about time of birth. A correct kundali goes a long way to make the right predictions,” he said.

The astrologers said that it was a fact that people don’t possess correct information about vital elements related to their birth. “Only a few people have correct information about their birth, especially timing. We don’t have the knowledge of figuring out birth timing on our own. There maybe ways to figure out the timings, but we don’t have any knowledge whatsoever about it,” said one of them.

However, the candidates seem to have not lost their heart. They are also approaching palmists and others to know about their respective fortunes in the parliamentary elections. Some are even lining up before tantriks in their effort to turn things in their favour. Though the candidates were not forthcoming but their supporters confirmed that they were not only seeking blessings from the Almighty but also banking their hopes on fortune-tellers and tantriks. “Our candidate has even performed a private puja at his residence. The puja was performed by a tantrik from Varanasi. He had also approached an astrologer with his kundali. But we are not aware about the predictions,” said a supporter of a city candidate.