Priyanka Chopra, Anil Ambani among early voters in Mumbai
Actor Priyanka Chopra after voting in Mumbai for Lok Sabha elections 2019. (Santosh Harhare/HT photo)
Bollywood actors Rekha and Priyanka Chopra, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, BJP leaders Paresh Rawal and Poonam Mahajan and industrialist Anil Ambani were among the early voters on Monday as polling started in the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai.
Voters were seen queuing outside polling booths across the metropolitan city as residents across the state started casting their franchise in the last 17 of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats.
In Bandra, 103-year-old Swarnambal Krishnaswamy was among those who cast their votes in Chembur. Krishnaswamy turned 103 on April 25 and is the oldest person in the area.
Many voters were forced to go back to keep their mobile phones at Gold Crest School in Navi Mumbai’s Vashi as they were not aware of the no phone rule.
Ravindra Phatak, an MLC of the Shiv Sena, was booked after he was allegedly caught with two bags with bundles of Rs 500 notes in his car by a squad of the Election Commission in Nalla Sopara early on Monday. The first information report was lodged in Tulinj police station.
Priyanka Chopra and her mother cast their votes in Versova as Anil Ambani voted at a polling booth at Cuffe Parade in Mumbai. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sitting MP Paresh Rawal and his wife Swaroop Sampat were seen at a polling booth in Vile Parle.
So did Bollywood filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and singer Shankar Mahadevan with his wife Sangeeta Mahadevan.
“This is the only time in five years when we can bring a change in this country. Everyone should understand the importance of this,” Vishal Bhardwaj said after voting in Andheri.
Poonam Mahajan, the BJP’s candidate from Mumbai North Central constituency, was seen outside polling booth number 48 in Worli with her mother Rekha Mahajan and brother Rahul Mahajan after voting.
Poonam Mahajan is facing tough competition from former legislator Priya Dutt. Both the candidates come from political families — Mahajan is the daughter of late senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan and Dutt father was late actor and former MP Sunil Dutt. In 2014, Mahajan had defeated Dutt by a margin of over 1.86 lakh votes. Congress candidate Priya Dutt and her husband Owen Roncon voted in Bandra.
Municipal corporator Manoj Kotak is contesting from the Mumbai North East seat and is pitted against the NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil, an MP from the constituency in 2009-14. Kotak cast his vote in at Mulund’s MCC College.
In Mumbai South Lok Sabha, sitting Sena MP Arvind Sawant is facing competition from Congress candidate and party’s Mumbai president Milind Deora for the second consecutive time. In 2014, Sawant had defeated Deora, the then MP, by a margin of over 1.28 lakh votes.
Another sitting Sena MP Rahul Shewale will face-off senior Congress leader and former MP Eknath Gaikwad for the second time in the Mumbai South Central constituency. Shewale had defeated Gaikwad by a margin of over 1.38 lakh votes in the last election. The constituency comprises Dharavi, the biggest slum area in Asia.
In Mumbai North West constituency, sitting Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar and Congress’ former MP Sanjay Nirupam are contesting against each other. Kirtikar had defeated the then sitting MP and senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat by a margin of over 1.83 lakh votes. Nirupam was the MP from Mumbai North constituency. On his request, Congress decided to change his constituency for the general polls.
In Mumbai North constituency is facing another tight fight where the sitting BJP MP Gopal Shetty will have to defend the party’s bastion against Congress candidate and Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar. Shetty had defeated the then sitting MP Sanjay Nirupam by a huge margin of 4.46 lakh votes. Actor Govinda was also the MP in 2004-09. As Congress candidate, he had defeated veteran BJP leader Ram Naik.
Maharashtra is holding elections in 17 seats in the fourth round of the seven-phased general election on Monday.
This phase includes three parliamentary constituencies from western Maharashtra, four from Konkan region, four from north Maharashtra and six seats from Mumbai. Polling in 31 seats has already been held in the first three phases.
The votes will be counted on May 23.
First Published: Apr 29, 2019 09:10:27
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