As Maharashtra went to polls on Wednesday, Bollywood stars were among the early voters in Mumbai. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actors Tamannaah Bhatia, Akshay Kumar, Rajkummar Rao and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar were among the celebrities who cast their votes in the morning.
Maharashtra will see polling across its 288 assembly seats on Wednesday. There are 9.7 crore voters in the state and 4,136 candidates are contesting in the elections.
Tendulkar cast his vote along with wife Anjali and daughter Sara. The trio posed for photos as they showed their inked fingers at the cameras.
Talking to media, Sachin said, "I have been an icon of the ECI for quite some time now. The message I am giving is to turn up and vote. It is our responsibility," hoping that people will come to vote.
Tamannaah Bhatia after casting her ballot said it is everyone's responsibility to cast their votes. "Everyone is excited to vote. While I was travelling to the voting centre, I could see many people heading to their respective voting centres," she added.
Actor Akshay Kumar also showed his inked fingers to the media, said everyone should come out and cast votes. He said the arrangements for senior citizens are executed well and cleanliness is maintained.
Actor Rajkummar Rao, while casting his ballot, said everyone should step out and vote. "It is very important (to vote). Everyone, please step out and vote. This is the voting day, it is very important," he said.
Star couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza cast their votes. Deshmukh said both his brothers, Amit and Dhiraj Deshmukh, will win and the Maha Vikas Aghadi will form government in Maharashtra.
Genelia said everyone has the right vote and people should exercise their right. "It is an important day today, you can make a big difference," she said.
Farhan Akhtar, sister Zoya Akhtar and Kabir Khan were among filmmakers who voted in the morning.
John Abraham, Urmila Matondkar and Ali Fazal were also among early voters. Taking to X, Matondkar posted a photo showing her inked finger and wrote, "Please vote... For yourself, your children, your society and your Maharashtra".
Asking voters in Bandra to cast their ballots, Pooja Bhatt wrote on Instagram, “Go vote Mumbai. Go vote Bandra. Your vote matters.”