Mumbai, May 20 (UNI) Tremendous response was witnessed in the fifth and final phase in Maharashtra as polling began Monday for 13 parliamentary constituencies including Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.
Of these six are from Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban district, four from Thane and Palghar and three from North Maharashtra region. Voting is taking place amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 264 candidates, said official sources.
Bollywood favourites Akshay Kumar, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar were some of the early birds in Mumbai who voted as the polling began and also urged people to come out in large numbers.
A total of 2.46 crore voters of Mumbai South, Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Palghar, Nashik, Dindori (ST) and Dhule will vote from 7 am to 6 pm to choose their MPs
The Election Commission of India have implemented several measures and initiatives through 'SVEEP' to increase poll percentage this time and appealed to voters to cast their votes without fear and favour .
Also election commission have been provided wheelchair accessible free bus facilities to the disabled voters through BEST on a fixed route as per the assembly constituency.
The ECI has set up a total of 24,579 polling stations equipped with 41,897 ballot units, 24,579 control units, and 24,579 VVPAT machines.
There is a direct fight between Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi everywhere. While Vanchit Bahujan Agadhi (VBA), AIMIM and some of the smaller parties are also in the fray.
The elections in six Lok Sabha constituencies which fall under Mumbai and Mumbai suburban district will witness a tough fight between Mahayuti and Mahavikas Agadhi.
In Mumbai North constituency, Union Minister and BJP candidate Piyush Goel is contesting against Congress' Bhushan Patil.
In Mumbai South, Sitting UBT MP Arvind Sawant is facing Yamini Yashwant Jadhav of Shinde Sena.
Ravindra Vaikar (Shinde Sena) is pitted against Amol Kirtikar of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) in Mumbai North West constituency.
In Mumbai North East, BJP's new face Mihir Kotecha is facing UBT's Sanjay Dina Patil.
Eminent Advocate Ujjwal Nikam is up against Congress nominee and former state minister Varsha Gaikwad in Mumbai North Central where AIMIM's Ramzan Ali Chaudhary is also in fray.
While senior leader of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Anil Desai is contesting election against Shinde Sena's sitting MP Rahul Shewale in Mumbai South Central constituency .
In Thane, Naresh Mhaske, a close aide of chief minister Eknath Shinde, is contesting against sitting UBT's MP Rajan Vichare.
Dr Srikanth Shinde sitting MP and son of Chief Minister Shinde is recontesting from Kalyan Lok sabha constituency against UBT's low profile candidate Vaishali Darekar Rane.
Union Minister and sitting MP Kapil Patil is seeking re election from Bhiwandi against NCP -Sharad Pawar Group nominee Suresh Mhatre .
In Phalghar, BJP has given chance to Dr Hemant Vishnu Savra who is facing UBT's Bharthi Kamdi and Hitendra Thakur led Bahujan Vikas Agadhi's nominee Rajesh Patil.
In Nashik, sitting Shinde Sena MP Hemant Godse is recontesting election against UBT's Rajabhau Waje.
MoS Health Dr Bharathi Pawar of BJP is contesting again from Dindori (ST) against NCP-Sharad Pawar nominee Bhaskar Bhagre.
While in Dhule, former Union Minister and sitting BJP MP Dr Subhash Bhamre is fighting against former state minister and Congress nominee Shobha Bachav.
Security has been heightened in all the constituencies to ensure fair and smooth elections.
UNI VKB/SP ING