Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 20 (ANI): Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, along with his son Aaditya Thackeray and wife Rashmi Thackeray, cast their votes at a polling booth in Mumbai.

Rashmi Thackeray showcased her inked finger after casting her vote.

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Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray took to the social media platform X and wrote, "Step out and vote. Vote for India. Your vote determines whether we all live further as citizens or subjects beyond this election. Your vote determines whether democracy is upheld or not. Your vote determines whether the Constitution is upheld or not. Your vote counts. Don't not vote, it's your right and your duty."

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cast his vote at a polling booth in Thane.

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After casting his vote, Chief Minister Shinde lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking crucial decisions during his ten-year tenure and said, "All the important decisions have been taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years. So I am confident that the people of Maharashtra are going to vote for Mahayuti."

"I have seen satisfaction amongst the people wherever I have gone in the state regarding the development... The work done by the state government in two years and by the central government in the last 10 years will be reflected in the elections. We are contesting the election in Maharashtra on the issue of development," the Maharashtra CM added.

Notably, elections in 6 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai are underway for Phase 5. The seats are Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South and Mumbai South Central.

The other constituencies of Maharashtra that are a part of the ongoing election in the fifth phase include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi and Thane.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases, running from April 19 to June 1. The counting and results will be declared on June 4.

The voting started at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by the closing time still allowed to vote. As per the ECI, over 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5409 third-gender electors, will decide the fate of 695 candidates in the fifth phase of voting.

Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In a bid to create a peaceful atmosphere for the electors, a total of 2,000 flying squads, 2105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams are keeping surveillance round the clock across the 94,732 polling stations. (ANI)

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