Mumbai civic polls: Actors Akshay Kumar, Sanya Malhotra cast vote

Mumbai: Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Sanya Malhotra and other celebrities stepped out early to vote in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls on Thursday morning.

Kumar, one of the early voters, urged the people of Mumbai to exercise their franchise and choose the right candidate.

He said today is the day when Mumbaikars have the "remote control" (to elect public representatives) in their hands.

Therefore, people should come out and vote, rather than complaining later about issues related to electricity, water and road infrastructure, he added.

"So, now it’s our turn and we all should step out and vote to elect the right person. If you want to be the real hero of Mumbai, then instead of dialogues, you should come and vote,” Kumar told reporters after casting his vote.

His actor-author wife, Twinkle Khanna, also voted.

“It gives us a sense of control, a little bit of power over the narrative. I’m voting out of habit and hope,” she said.

Actor Sanya Malhotra and musician Vishal Dadlani also exercised their franchise.

In Mumbai, the electoral battle is between the BJP-led Mahayuti and the alliance of cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray for control of the cash-rich BMC, which has an annual budget of more than Rs 74,000 crore.