Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, accompanied by his family, participated in voting in Mumbai during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Visuals captured by ANI showed Mahadevan and his family displaying their inked fingers post-vote.
After casting his vote, Shankar Mahadevan emphasized the importance of voting, urging everyone to exercise their right. He told ANI, “Today is a very important day for us and it should be celebrated. I heard that there has been a good voter turnout here… We still have time till 6 pm, I urge everyone to go out and vote because it is your right. Your one single vote can make a huge difference.”
Earlier, veteran actor Dharmendra was seen voting at Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu. Other celebrities, including Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Rajkumar Rao, and Janhvi Kapoor, were also spotted at polling booths across Mumbai.
The fifth phase of the elections involves six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai: Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South, and Mumbai South Central. Additionally, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, and Thane are voting in this phase.
Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest state in terms of parliamentary constituencies, following Uttar Pradesh. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, conducted in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, feature significant contests across states. The final results will be announced on June 4.
Prominent candidates in this phase include Rajnath Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, Chirag Paswan, Omar Abdullah, and Rohini Acharya.
The Election Commission has implemented extensive security measures, deploying 2,000 flying squads, 2,105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams. These teams are ensuring 24/7 surveillance across 94,732 polling stations to guarantee a smooth and secure voting process.