Some of India’s richest families, Bollywood stars and cricketers voted early in Mumbai as the fourth phase of a massive, staggered general election got underway.
More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in this round of the seven-phase election held across 71 seats in nine states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition won more than 75 percent of the seats in the previous election in 2014.
India’s financial capital, Mumbai, is home to the massive Hindi film industry and saw famous faces casting their ballots on Monday.
Bollywood celebrities were among those seen at polling stations across the city as well as retired Indian Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar.
Mumbai, which has six seats, is India’s wealthiest city but ageing and insufficient infrastructure is a major concern. Six people were killed last month when part of a pedestrian bridge collapsed, bringing back memories of a 2017 rush-hour stampede that killed at least 22 people on a narrow pedestrian bridge.
