Akshay Kumar Casts Early Vote in Mumbai as Phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Commences

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar was among the early voters at a Mumbai polling station as the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra kicked off on Monday.

Dressed in a green shirt and blue pants, the ‘Hera Pheri’ star arrived early in the morning to cast his vote. After voting, Kumar addressed the media, expressing his hopes for the nation, “I want my India to be developed and strong. I voted keeping that in mind. India should vote for what they deem is right… I think voter turnout will be good.” Kumar also observed an impressive turnout at the polling station, noting, “I think this time more people will come to cast their vote. I came early at 7 am and the polling booth was open. I saw almost 500-600 people were in attendance.”

Bollywood siblings Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar also stepped out early on Monday to exercise their right to vote amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections includes six seats in Mumbai: Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South, and Mumbai South Central. Other constituencies in Maharashtra participating in this phase include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, and Thane.

Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats—the second-largest number after Uttar Pradesh—sees a significant voter base. The Election Commission of India (ECI) reports over 8.95 crore eligible voters, comprising 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5,409 third-gender electors, who will determine the fate of 695 candidates in this phase.

The voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by closing time still permitted to vote. To ensure a smooth and secure voting process, a comprehensive security setup includes 2,000 flying squads, 2,105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams, overseeing 94,732 polling stations.

This phase will witness key electoral battles in various constituencies, featuring prominent leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, and others. Eight states/UTs participating in phase 5 include Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.