Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh, a prominent couple, casted their vote at the designated polling station in Maharashtra’s Latur in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.
After voting, Genelia emphasized the significance of the day, stating, “This is an important day and I think everyone should cast their votes today.”
Riteish echoed her sentiments, urging citizens to exercise their voting rights. “I came to Latur from Mumbai to cast my vote. Everyone should come out of their houses and cast votes. Today is an important day. Everyone should definitely vote…” he expressed.
Accompanied by his brother and Maharashtra Congress MLA Dhiraj Deshmukh, Riteish stressed the importance of voter participation, saying, “Everyone should exercise their right to vote. This is a festival of democracy. I appeal to everyone to vote…”
Their mother, Vaishali Deshmukh, the wife of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, also cast her vote in Latur early Tuesday. Vilasrao Deshmukh, born on May 26, 1945, in Latur, served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister twice and held a ministerial position in the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He passed away on August 14, 2012.
Riteish and his family have close ties to Latur. In February, he attended an event there to unveil the statue of his late father, a veteran Congressman. During his speech at the event, Riteish became emotional, recalling his father’s legacy. “Tough twelve years have passed since Saheb [Vilasrao Deshmukh] left us. Occasionally, the pain surfaces. He always used to shine, and even now, he shines. This shine never fades…” Riteish expressed.
In the ongoing elections, the NDA has nominated sitting MP Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangare against INDIA Alliance’s Kalge Shivaji Bandappa in Latur.
The third phase of polling covers various states, including Maharashtra (11), Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10), and West Bengal (4).