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Chennai: Tamil Nadu's superstar Chief Minister Vijay has landed himself into a fresh row on Tuesday over the appointment of his astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as his Officer on Special Duty or OSD to the Chief Minister. 

While Vijay backers have tried to sell off this move as emotional connect since Vettrivel had predicted the TVK chief's landslide win, this explanation did not sit well with his allies, including the Congress and the Left parties.

Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil said in a post on X, "Beats me. Why would an astrologer require an OSD position ?? Can any one explain."

VCK general secretary D Ravikumar wrote, “This is unacceptable in a secular government. The Honorable Chief Minister should reconsider this.”

"It is the government's duty to foster a scientific outlook. Ricky Radhan Pandit, who has been announced today as the political wing secretary of the Chief Minister, is fundamentally an astrologer. Appointing such a person as an officer at government expense will only serve to increase faith in astrology among the people... This appointment by the government is unacceptable! It is also unacceptable that he will provide political advice," CPM's Central Committee member Shanmugam P posted on X.

Who is Astrologer Radhan Pandit?

Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel has more than four decades of practice in Vedic astrology, numerology, and meditation-based counseling. Originally practicing in South India under the name Pandit Vettrivel, he moved to the national capital in 2008 where he adopted the name Radhan Pandit, under which he built his most significant following.

High-Profile Consultations

Media reports have linked Pandit to senior figures across the political spectrum, including members of the BJP, Congress, DMK, and AIADMK. He has often spoken of veteran BJP leader LK Advani in high regard.

One of the most notable chapter of his career involved the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who claimed to be her spiritual mentor and famously forecasted her landslide victory in 1991. However, that relationship reportedly soured after he warned her of a turbulent period starting in 1994, a prediction that was apparently not well received.

Predicting Vijay’s Rise

Long before Vijay’s party, Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), emerged as a dominant force, Pandit insisted that the actor's astrological profile was destined for political success.

In a 2024 YouTube video that went viral following Vijay’s sweep in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Pandit even provided a detailed reading of the actor's "charts," in which he argued that the name "TVK" was numerologically aligned with Vijay’s birth date, creating a structural advantage for the party.

Pandit went on to compare his planetary alignments to those of seasoned leaders like Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, asserting that that Vijay’s “chart” contained "unmistakable markers" of "royal" authority.

Pandit predicted TVK would secure over 150 seats with Vijay eventually becoming the Chief Minister. He foretold that the key battle in the state will be between Vijay and Udhayanidhi Stalin, and that Vijay would consolidate his power as the state's dominant political figure.