In a rare public admission on Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he had always relied on astrology to plan and chart the course of his political life.Speaking to reporters during his visit to Delhi, the Congress strongman, who has seen it all, including incarceration in Tihar Jail, said astrologers had always got it right in his case.“Astrology is both science and mathematics. When I became a minister for the first time, my astrologer said the stint would be for a short time, and it was. I was also told I would win my second election with a very thin margin, and I won by 562 votes,” Shivakumar said.He took over as Karnataka Chief Minister on June 3 this year, and the next Karnataka Assembly election is not due until 2028.Asked how he was coping with the challenge of the transition after Siddaramaiah made way for him, DK Shivakumar said, “We will repeat the next government in Karnataka. Although I am not an astrologer, I believe in astrology. Now my astrologers are saying I will be CM for eight years,” he said, exuding confidence about leading the Congress to victory in the next Assembly election as well.Importantly, several prominent politicians in India have depended on astrologers or spiritual gurus.Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was very close to Chandraswami. Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa consulted Unnikrishna Panicker.Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda also relied on astrology, while former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was known to seek the advice of Pt Kedar Sharma.Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also, according to some accounts, consulted astrologers. She was more inclined towards yoga and had Dhirendra Brahmachari as her yoga mentor and instructor.