Some of India's richest families, Bollywood stars and others voted early on Monday in Mumbai and elsewhere in the country as the fourth phase of a massive, staggered general election got underway.
An average 29.93 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 2 pm in Maharashtra's 17 seats on Monday as polling for the fourth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state was underway.
Complaints of technical glitches in EVMs and VVPAT machines in some polling booths were addressed, an election official said.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar with his wife Anjali Tendulkar cast their votes at a booth in Mumbai.
Their son Arjun Tendulkar, a budding left arm pacer, voted for the first time as he turned 18 years' old recently.
So far, Nandurbar Lok Sabha seat recorded highest polling at 40.05 per cent while Kalyan constituency saw lowest voter turnout of 25.31 per cent, according to an official statement.
The voting figures till 1 pm in other constituencies are as follows: Dhule- 31.08 per cent, Dindori - 35.69 per cent, Nashik- 30.86 per cent, Palghar- 36.16 per cent, Bhiwandi- 30.30 per cent, Thane- 29.63 per cent, Mumbai-North- 32.93 per cent, Mumbai-North West 29.87 per cent, Mumbai-North East- 32.37 per cent, Mumbai-North Central- 28.29 per cent, Mumbai-South Central-30.02 per cent, Mumbai- South 28.23 per cent, Maval- 31.87 per cent, Shirur- 32.05 per cent and Shirdi 34.87 per cent.
As many as 3.11 crore voters spread across the Mumbai metropolitan region and northern and western Maharashtra are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 323 candidates in the fray in these 17 seats.
Around 40 polling booths in these constituencies, including 26 in suburban Mumbai, are being managed women.
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Mumbai North East Lok Sabha Constituency – all you need to know
Mumbai North West Lok Sabha Constituency – all you need to know
Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha Constituency – all you need to know
1. Age no bar
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Virginia Dorres Pereira, 91 year old in wheelchair went to to cast her vote. She felt it was her duty as a citizen to go out and vote. Behind her is Sharon Pereira. The family said that they were not told by guards that wheelchair bound people are given priority and that they had to wait for long before some neighbour told them that they could go ahead. Later Virginia was given priority.
2. Vinod Tawde and family
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Education minister Vinod Tawde, his wife and daughter
3. Sangeeta Mehra votes in Cuffe parade
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Sangeeta Mehra, resident of Cuffe Parade casted her vote. She said there was queue so she had to wait for half an hour. Everyone except two people before her could cast their votes. The names of two people were not on the list. She voted for clean candidate and ideology.
4. Ravi Kishan
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BJP MP candidate from UP's Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan casts his vote at a polling booth in Goregaon.
5. Former Mumbai Police chief Julio Ribeiro
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Former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro cast his vote at a polling station at Worli sea face. #LokSabhaElections2019
6. Urmila Matondkar
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Congress MP candidate from Mumbai North, Urmila Mataondkar casts her vote at polling booth number 190 in Bandra.
7. Mumbai, Thane votes
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The fate of 323 candidates, including Union minister Subhash Bhamre, Congress nominees Milind Deora and Urmila Matondkar, will be decided in the fourth and final phase of polling in Maharashtra covering 17 Lok Sabha constituencies on April 29.
More than 3.11 crore voters spread across the 17 Lok Sabha seats located in North Maharashtra, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and parts of Western Maharashtra, are eligible to exercise their franchise.
As many as 33,314 polling stations are being set up in these constituencies, where 323 candidates are in the poll field.
Of the total 3,11,92,823 voters, 1,66,31,707 are male, 1,45,59,698 female and 1,418 from the third gender.
The constituencies voting on April 29 are: Nandurbar, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik (North Maharashtra), Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane (located on Mumbai's outskirts), Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai South and Mumbai South-Central, Maval, Shirur (Pune district) and Shirdi (Ahmednagar district).
In 2014, the BJP had won 8 of these 17 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena bagged the remaining 9.
The Palghar seat was won by the BJP in 2014. However, this time the Shiv Sena is contesting on the seat as part of a pre-poll alliance between the two saffron allies.
Opposition Congress, which had won just two seats in 2014 in Maharashtra, is facing a tough task of reclaiming its lost support base in North Maharashtra and Mumbai.
The NCP is fighting to regain its position in Thane district and Western Maharashtra.
Prominent candidates in the fray include Bhamre (Dhule-BJP), actress-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar (Mumbai North), Priya Dutt (Mumbai North-Central Congress) and Deora (Mumbai South).
From the NCP, its president Sharad Pawar's grandnephew Parth Pawar is making his electoral debut from Maval, while popular Marathi actor Amol Kolhe is the NCP candidate from Shirur.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80). Voting for 31 of these seats was held in the first three phases - April 11, 18 and 23.
Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
8. Priyanka Chopra
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.@priyankachopra casts her vote in #Mumbai
— DNA (@dna) April 29, 2019
#LoksabhaElections2019
Catch all live updates here- https://t.co/NJGiwmXpO5 pic.twitter.com/vUdyHfNJ7q
9. Salman, Sachin cast their vote
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Sachin Tendulkar's family and Salman Khan cast their votes
