Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 20 (ANI): With the polling underway across 288 constituencies in Maharashtra on Wednesday, Bollywood celebrities continue to urge citizens to exercise their democratic rights.
Musician Vishal Dadlani also made an appeal to cast their votes, saying that “if there is love for the country, then please come and cast your votes.”
“I appeal to you please come and vote. It is ridiculous that we have to appeal to come and cast your votes. This is your state, your country, if there is love for the country then please come and cast your votes. Rural Maharashtra is charged up to vote…,” Dadlani said after casting his vote for Maharashtra assembly elections.
Singer Kailash Kher also cast his ballot for the Maharashtra Elections 2024 at a polling booth in Mumbai and said, “Voting is a celebration of democracy… I urge everyone to vote…”
Actor Tushar Kapoor, who cast his vote in Mumbai, shared his views on the importance of voting, saying, “Many people don’t vote because they have no interest in politics. But we should feel proud of our city and our country, and we should never give up on democracy. This is the least we can do. Every vote matters…”
Kapoor emphasized the duty of every citizen to participate in the election.
Earlier, veteran actor Prem Chopra praised the arrangements made by the authorities for the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections. Despite having the option to vote from home, Chopra chose to vote in person.
“The arrangements at the polling booth are very nice. Even though I had the option of voting from home, I still came here to cast my vote like everyone else.”
Meanwhile, actress Isha Koppikar highlighted the role of parents in educating their children about the significance of voting.
“It’s the responsibility of the parents to make their children aware of the importance of voting. Even though my child is a long way from voting, I make sure to teach her about her rights as a citizen of this country,” she stated.
Sanjay Dutt’s sister, former Member of the Lok Sabha Priya Dutt, also participated in the voting process, casting her ballot in the afternoon.
Similarly, Bollywood stalwarts like Salman Khan’s parents, Salim and Salma Khan, ventured out to vote amid tight security measures.
Salman’s brother and actor Sohail Khan, speaking after casting his vote, expressed his hopes for the future of Bandra.”I am a Bandra boy… whoever gets elected, I wish he loves Bandra as we all Bandrahites love Bandra. We hope a good politician comes. It’s a responsibility to vote and I request everyone to come and vote,” he stated.
In addition to these luminaries, many others including Subhash Ghai, Nikita Dutta, and Aamir Khan’s former spouse Reena Dutta, among others, also exercised their right to vote.
Early in the day, other stars such as Sonu Sood, Akshay Kumar, Rajkummar Rao, and Genelia Deshmukh participated in the voting, encouraging citizens to take part in this important civic duty.
The single-phase Maharashtra Assembly elections commenced at 7 am today across 288 constituencies, with voting set to conclude at 6 pm.
The key players in the race are the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting 149 seats along with its allies Shiv Sena and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
To ensure a smooth and peaceful voting process, more than 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across Mumbai and other parts of the state, including riot-control teams and home guards. High-traffic areas like Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar and Dharavi are seeing heightened vehicle checks as authorities remain vigilant to prevent any untoward incidents.
The Maharashtra elections are proving to be a fiercely contested affair, with the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance facing off against the MVA. (ANI)
