Bollywood Stars Vote in Maharashtra Civic Polls, Highlight Civic Issues

Sonali was accompanied by her husband Goldie Behl, and their son, Ranbir, as they cast their votes, proudly displaying their inked fingers.

Bhagyashree was seen flaunting her inked finger after casting her vote. She even spoke to the reporters outside the polling booth.

Speaking about Mumbai's current situation, Bhagyashree said there was a pressing need to address pollution and road conditions.

"There is a lot of pollution, and many roads have been dug up. This not only causes heavy traffic and inconvenience, but also affects work as people are unable to reach their offices on time, and there have been many accidents. I feel this work really needs to be completed faster," she said.

On voter participation, Bhagyashree urged citizens to make use of the holiday to exercise their democratic right.

She added: "Many people think that since it's a holiday today, they can wake up a little late. I believe voting will pick up after people have their meals and rest a bit. Then they will think about going out for work."

"So my appeal is... yes, it's a holiday, sleep comfortably, wake up, eat your food, and then please make sure you go out and vote," she added.

Polling for the 29 municipal corporations began at 7.30 a.m. and will conclude at 5.30 p.m. According to the State Election Commission, arrangements have been made across 39,147 polling stations, equipped with 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units. In Mumbai, there are 10,111 polling stations with 11,349 Control Units and 22,698 Ballot Units.

Elections were originally scheduled for 2,869 seats, including 227 seats in the BMC, polling is now being held for 2,801 seats, as 68 candidates were elected unopposed. No voting will take place for these uncontested seats. A total of 3.48 crore voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including 1,729 candidates in Mumbai alone. The counting of votes will take place on January 16.

Elections are being held in municipal corporations across major cities, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Akola, Latur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Jalna, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Ichalkaranji, Ahilyanagar, and Ulhasnagar.

- IANS