Today, November 20th marked the kickoff of the lit-est political showdown, Maharashtra Assembly elections, where 9.7 crore voters will gear up to boss the ballot. With polling across all 288 assembly seats, From talking about the facilities at the voting booth, to urging people to come out and vote,?the drama is thicker than your favourite Netflix series,
Enter Sachin Tendulkar, aka the cricket GOAT, strolling into a Mumbai polling booth with wife Anjali and daughter Sara. Draped in his usual humility, Sachin served wisdom like a pro. ¡°I urge everyone to vote. It¡¯s our responsibility,¡± said the Election Commission icon, making his inked finger trend harder than any Instagram Reel.??
Meanwhile, Bollywood wasn¡¯t about to be benched. Akshay Kumar turned heads with his sharp suit and sharper message. The Bellbottom star not only showed off his ink but gave a shoutout to the ¡°top-tier¡± arrangements for senior citizens. His advice? ¡°Step out, vote, and flex your power, people!¡±??
But wait¡ªthere¡¯s more. Directors Kabir Khan and Zoya Akhtar, actor Ali Fazal, and Bollywood¡¯s coolest sibling duo, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, weren¡¯t missing this democratic festival. Meanwhile, Rajkummar Rao, fresh from the sets of his next hit, took to Gyan Kendra Secondary School to drop some wisdom bombs. ¡°Voting is your democratic superpower,¡± he said.
Actor-director Pooja Bhatt wasn¡¯t about to let the Bandra peeps chill either. She served a sizzling reminder: ¡°Go vote, Mumbai. Your vote matters.¡±
Bollywood¡¯s adorable couple and actors Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D Souza also casted their votes. They also showed their confidence in MVA, Deshmukh said, "Maha Vikas Aghadi is going to form its government in Maharashtra...Both my brothers are going to win"
Beyond the celeb blitz, let¡¯s talk numbers. With 4,136 candidates in the fray¡ªincluding 2,086 independents¡ªthis election is spicier than your favourite roadside vada pav. And with over 6,100 transgender voters and 6.41 lakh PWD voters, inclusivity is the buzzword of the day. Maharashtra¡¯s voter list? A whopping 9.7 crore strong, with rebels throwing shade in over 150 constituencies.??
The hustle doesn¡¯t stop there. From neat polling booths to queue-friendly setups, the Election Commission played the ultimate host.