A day before their political fate is decided, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and his Bharatiya Janata Party rival, Uma Bharti, spent time seeking divine intervention.
Votes polled on Monday to elect a new Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly will be counted on Thursday.
Bhopal Congress workers told rediff.com that Diggy Raja, as the chief minister is known in the state, is visiting temples all across the state. "Rajasahib has no hesitation in offering puja, for which he has visited many temples," Rajmangal, a Congress worker, said.
On Tuesday, Digvijay Singh expressed confidence that he will score a hat-trick by forming the next government in the state. He was speaking to reporters after offering prayers at the Vishwa Mangal Dham Mandir.
The chief minister has consistently pursued a soft Hindutva line in the state, while playing it down during his trips to Delhi.
Uma Bharti commenced and concluded her election campaign with a puja at the Mahakali temple in Ujjain. BJP sources said she is now visiting Hanuman temples.
And it's not only politicians looking heavenwards, senior journalist and founder-editor of www.whispersinthecorridors.com, Dr Suresh Mehrotra, told rediff.com: "Whenever there is a 'Kumbh' mela in Ujjain, the opposition comes to power in Madhya Pradesh. I have seen three 'Kumbhs' -- 1967, 1980 and 1992 -- and they were followed by oppositions coming to power in this state."
He said in 1967 the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal government was formed; a BJP government took power in 1980; and the BJP lost power to the Congress in 1993.
The Ujjain Kumbh is due in the first half of 2004.
All this, however, has not deterred the Congress chief minister. He and his aides continue to claim that the party will be in a position to form a government in the state.