JODHPUR: A huge following on social media does not guarantee a good showing in election results, even if one claims to be able to glance into the future. That is the bitter truth borne out by the sarpanch election at Indon Ki Dhani-II gram panchayat in Osian tehsil of Jodhpur district.This is where astrologer-influencer and YouTuber Omprakash Bishnoi, brimming with confidence in the more than two million followers he commanded across digital platforms, decided to enter the fray for village headman.With more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram and 232,000 on Facebook, besides 550,000 YouTube subscribers, Bishnoi’s electoral resume also boasted of the fact that he was president of a local cow shelter.That aside, he was buoyed up by the fact that he was contesting the elections in his native gram panchayat and confident that it would ensure at least some traction among local voters.Or so he thought!In the end, the fortune-telling influencer managed to garner just 33 votes in a village with around 1,600 eligible voters. The electoral rout came as a surprise not just to his legions of online followers but also, presumably, to him.Predictably, the result triggered a buzz online, with many pointing out the irony that a man who claimed to be able to read faces and predict fortunes lacked the ability to predict his own electoral debacle.Following the announcement of the results, Omprakash Bishnoi took to his official social media accounts to thank voters of his native village and accept their verdict gracefully.Referring to the Hindi saying, “There is darkness beneath the lamp”, he acknowledged the irony of failing to win support in his own village despite his popularity online.His dignified response to defeat, while drawing appreciation on social media, raises a pertinent question: can millions of online followers ever be a substitute for the trust of grassroots voters? In Bishnoi’s own, albeit unexpected experience, they surely cannot!