Renowned Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar participated in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections by casting his vote in Mumbai on Monday.
Tendulkar holds the designation of ‘national icon’ by the Election Commission (EC) to enhance voter awareness. Accompanying him was his son, Arjun Tendulkar, a member of the Mumbai Indians (MI) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Unfortunately, Tendulkar’s wife Anjali and daughter, Sara, were unable to join them in Mumbai due to Sara’s post-graduation convocation ceremony.
After voting, both Sachin and Arjun proudly displayed their inked fingers, symbolizing their participation in the electoral process.
Speaking to the media, Tendulkar emphasized the importance of voting, stating, “I would like to say that problems happen because, one, you act without thinking, and two, you just keep thinking but do not act. I would urge people to cast their vote. It is extremely important for our nation’s future.”
Tendulkar holds the record for the highest run-scorer in international cricket, with an impressive tally of 34,357 runs and 100 centuries in 664 international matches. He was a crucial member of the Indian cricket team that clinched the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Phase 5 witnesses crucial contests in various constituencies, with leaders like Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya vying for electoral success. Eight states/UTs, including Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, are conducting polls in this phase, accounting for 49 Lok Sabha seats.
To ensure a peaceful voting atmosphere, extensive surveillance measures are in place across the 94,732 polling stations, including 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams.