Brisk polling in Maharashtra; actresses Rekha, Vidya Balan among early voters

Mumbai: Bollywood celebrities Rekha, Vidya Balan, Sunny Deol and Sonam Kapoor were among the early-morning voters who gave a head start to voting in Mumbai on Thursday.

In Mumbai and also across the state, voting began on a brisk note with most of the voters seemed keen to avoid sweltering heat as mercury has risen to 39 degree Celsius in the last two days.

Actress Vidya Balan was among the first Bollywood celebrities to cast her vote. Vidya, who lives in suburban Juhu after her marriage with UTV head Siddharth Roy Kapur, cast her vote at a Chembur booth.

When asked about her voting in Chembur, she said laughing, "Why not.. this gives me a chance to come to Chembur..I do come often". "Its my responsibility to vote...To point fingers at others and (if) I face a problem, I need to have this on my finger," she said displaying her inked finger. Yesteryear actress and Rajya Sabha member (nominated) Rekha came in a track suit to exercise her right to franchise.

Actors Sunny Deol and Sonam Kapoor also cast their votes. In suburban Dadar, morning walkers armed with their photo voter slips arrived at polling stations and were seen searching for their names in the voter rolls before entering booths. In neighbouring Dombivali, which falls in the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, voters thronged polling booths even before they were opened.

"I wanted to avoid to heat in the afternoon and I was eagerly awaiting for the polling to open so that I am the first to cast my vote. It feels good," said a middle-aged voter.

In Nashik in north Maharashtra, an ex-serviceman said he was voting for the first time in his life.

"While in service, we were posted all over the country and could not exercise our franchise. Now after retirement, I decided that I will be the first to cast my vote," he said. Another early voter said she felt proud after exercising her right to franchise.