Mumbai, India: Billionaires and Bollywood celebrities vote in world's biggest election

CNN
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Voting began in India's financial capital during a week-long national election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking another five-year term, with celebrities, businessmen and politicians casting their votes in the world's largest democracy.

Millions of people flocked to polling stations on Monday to vote in six constituencies in Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra and 43 other constituencies across the country to decide the leader of the world's most populous country.

Thousands of celebrities were photographed voting in India's richest city and the birthplace of the Bollywood film industry, showing off their purple-striped index fingers to show they had voted in India's elections. Photographed.

'King of Bollywood' Shah Rukh Khan was seen leaving a polling booth in Mumbai with his family including wife Gauri, daughter Suhana and sons Aryan and AbRam. Elsewhere, one of India's most famous actors, Amitabh Bachchan, also voted at a polling station on the outskirts of Andheri.

“As responsible Indian citizens, we must exercise our right to vote in Maharashtra this Monday,” Khan wrote in X over the weekend. “Let's do our duty as Indians and vote with our nation's best interests in mind. Advance our right to vote.”

Film stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who are expecting their first child this year, were also photographed, along with billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita and son Akash.

Actor Akshay Kumar said after voting on Monday that he wanted to see India “developed and strong”.

Showing his inked finger to local reporters, he added: “I voted…India should vote for what they think is right…I think the turnout was good.”

However, as in previous elections, turnout in Mahrashtra on Monday remained low at 54%, while across Mumbai's six constituencies it was between 47% and 55%, according to Election Commission data. By comparison, about 73% of voters in the northeastern state of West Bengal cast their ballots, data showed.

The key players in Mumbai's elections are Prime Minister Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party the Indian National Congress, and the local ultranationalist group Shiv, which has long played an important role in Mumbai politics. These are two rival factions of the Sena.

A city of more than 12 million people, Mumbai is often likened to New York and called the “City of Dreams,” drawing millions of immigrants from across the country to build wealth and find purpose.

It's a city of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, where skyscrapers tower over slum homes and poor children beg by the windows of the chauffeured cars that transport students to school.

And while the rich and famous were seen voting, many migrant workers in the city will be excluded from the election.

Under Indian election rules, voters can only vote in their own constituency, meaning those working outside the state must return to their hometowns to vote. For many out-of-state workers, particularly disadvantaged day laborers in the unorganized sector, this is nearly impossible due to the transportation costs involved in returning home.

Many Mumbai voters are concerned about rising inflation and want better education and employment opportunities.

“The change I would like to see is for prices to come down,” Sachin Chaudhary, a 34-year-old grocery shop owner, previously told CNN, adding that he also hopes for better opportunities in the employment sector.