Actress Kangana Ranaut, after casting her vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on Monday, took what is widely presumed to be a veiled dig at the Congress party. "Before this we were servants of Mughal, British and Italian governments," she said, as reported by India Today. THE WEEK cannot independently vouch for the veracity of the statement. "It is a very important day, which comes once in five years. So, please make use of it," she added, reported PTI. The statement was considered a jibe against the Italian heritage of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
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Several Bollywood stars, including Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor Khan, cast their vote as Mumbai went to polls in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
Polling is underway for 17 seats in the state, including six in Mumbai. Aamir, Priyanka and Rekha were among the early voters. Veteran singer Asha Bhosle, actors Hrithik Roshan, Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt and wife Manyata, writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, filmmaker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and Prem Chopra also voted. So did actor and BJP MP Paresh Rawal, who voted in suburban Vile-Parle.
Among the younger stars, Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria also voted before flying to Ahmedabad for promoting a film. Actor Urmila Matondkar, Congress candidate from Mumbai-North, was also among the early voters.
"Nothing feels better than making a contribution towards your country and carrying out your civic duty of casting a vote. Do your duty," Matondkar said. Posting a selfie showing her inked finger on Twitter, Priyanka Chopra wrote, "This is the moment that matters.... Every vote is a voice that counts. #LokSabhaElections2019."
Madhuri appealed people to use their vote wisely. "Voting is our right, let's use it wisely! The future of our country is in our hands. Let's do our duty and #VoteForIndia," she tweeted with a selfie showing her inked finger.
Actor Anupam Kher also cast his vote. "I exercised my democratic right. Did you? Please vote," he tweeted. Actors Sonali Bendre and Arjun Rampal also posted their pictures with inked fingers and urged fans to vote.
Actor R Madhavan also cast his vote and later posted on Twitter a picture of himself and his wife. Amrita Rao, who cast her vote in Mahim, told PTI that "voting is important for everyone irrespective of their status." "It is the duty of every citizen who wants betterment of the country and its people. However, being a celebrity you do carry the power to influence and if my voting can influence even one more person to get out of the house and vote, I shall be more than satisfied," she said.
-Inputs from PTI
