Bollywood Stars Cast Votes in Maharashtra Municipal Elections
Bollywood Celebrities Participate in Municipal Elections
On January 15, as the voting process commenced for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), several Bollywood figures such as Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Sonali Bendre, and Bhagyashree were spotted casting their votes.
Sonali Bendre arrived with her husband Goldie Behl and their son Ranbir, proudly showcasing their inked fingers after voting.
Bhagyashree also displayed her inked finger post-voting and took a moment to speak with reporters outside the polling station.
Addressing the current issues in Mumbai, Bhagyashree emphasized the urgent need to tackle pollution and the poor state of roads.
"The pollution levels are alarming, and many roads are under construction. This leads to severe traffic jams and hinders people's ability to reach work on time, resulting in numerous accidents. It's crucial that these projects are expedited," she stated.
Encouraging voter turnout, Bhagyashree urged the public to utilize the holiday to fulfill their civic duty.
"Some individuals may think they can sleep in since it's a holiday. I believe voter turnout will increase after people have their meals and take a short rest. Then they will consider heading out to vote," she remarked.
"So, my message is… yes, it’s a holiday, enjoy your sleep, have your meal, but please make sure to go out and vote," she added.
Voting for the municipal corporations began at 7:30 a.m. and will end at 5:30 p.m. The State Election Commission has set up 39,147 polling stations, equipped with 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units. In Mumbai alone, there are 10,111 polling stations with 11,349 Control Units and 22,698 Ballot Units.
Originally, elections were planned for 2,869 seats, including 227 in the BMC, but polling is now taking place for 2,801 seats as 68 candidates were elected unopposed. Voting will not occur for these uncontested positions. Approximately 3.48 crore voters will determine the outcomes for 15,931 candidates, including 1,729 candidates in Mumbai. The vote counting is scheduled for January 16.
Elections are being conducted in major cities such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Akola, Latur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Jalna, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Ichalkaranji, Ahilyanagar, and Ulhasnagar.