20 May,2024 04:58 PM IST | Nashik | mid-day online correspondent
Chhagan Bhujbal. File Pic
As voting for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Maharashtra is underway, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Chhagan Bhujbal, exercised his democratic duty and cast his vote along with his family members at a polling booth in Nashik, reported the ANI.
Chhagan Bhujbal also urged the voters to cast their votes in large numbers and celebrate the grand festival of democracy.
"People should exercise their voting rights and cast their vote for their favourite candidate in the nearby polling areas. It's a medium to celebrate democracy and one should vote definitely," he said, according to the ANI.
Responding to the questions about the government's efforts to increase the vote percentage, Chhagan Bhujbal stated that everybody is making consistent efforts to increase the vote percentage.
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"Government, including our party workers, everybody is making consistent efforts to increase the vote percentage in the state. It just takes around five minutes to exercise this power. I urge all to come out with an identity card and vote for their candidate," Chhagan Bhujbal said, as per the ANI.
Polling is underway in 13 Parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra including six in Mumbai. 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 where polling is underway include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi and Thane.
Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), polling for 35 assembly constituencies of the Odisha legislative assembly will also take place simultaneously on Monday.
Eight states/UTs going for polls in phase 5 are Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
(with ANI inputs)
