Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday appointed his personal astrologer and TVK spokesperson Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty (Political) to the Chief Minister.
An official order issued by the Tamil Nadu government's Public Establishment Department, signed by Principal Secretary to Government Reeta Harish Thakkar, confirmed that Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (Political) to the Chief Minister, with the appointment taking effect from the date of joining.
NDTV's Shiv Aroor posted on X about the same.
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Who Is Rickey Radhan Pandit?
Ricky Rathan Pandit, known in political and film circles for his astrological and numerological predictions, has reportedly been practising astrology and numerology for over 40 years.
He had publicly predicted, at a time when many pollsters projected only limited electoral impact for TVK, that Vijay's horoscope contained what he called a "tsunami yoga" a year ago — a planetary combination indicating a sudden and large-scale rise in public influence — and that TVK would emerge as a major political force in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections.
When those predictions came true with TVK's landslide 207-seat win, old interview clips and prediction videos associated with him began circulating rapidly across YouTube, television discussions, and social media platforms, and his name became widely discussed among political observers and astrology followers alike.
Radhan Pandit also claims to have served as a spiritual mentor to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, saying he guided her through court cases, suggested election candidates, and even influenced the spelling change of her name from "J.Jayalalitha" to "J.Jayalalithaa" — a numerological tweak he credits for her decade-long political dominance.
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The Political Context
He is mainly known as an astrologer closely associated with Vijay, who was later appointed as one of the spokespersons of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The development comes amid Vijay's efforts to strengthen his political and administrative setup after assuming office as chief minister. The post of OSD generally involves political coordination, liaison work and handling assignments directly linked to the chief minister's office.
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