Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Legendary Sachin Tendulkar, son Arjun cast their vote in Mumbai (WATCH)

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, accompanied by his son Arjun, cast their votes in Mumbai during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

cricket Sachin Tendulkar and Son Arjun cast their votes in Lok Sabha elections (WATCH) osf

Ovaise Shariff

First Published May 20, 2024, 2:57 PM IST | Last Updated May 20, 2024, 3:00 PM IST

Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar cast his vote in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on Monday in Mumbai. Recognized as the 'national icon' by the Election Commission (EC) to raise voter awareness, Tendulkar was accompanied by his son, Arjun Tendulkar, who plays for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). However, his wife Anjali and daughter Sara were unable to attend due to Sara's post-graduation convocation ceremony, according to sources. After voting, Sachin and Arjun proudly displayed their inked fingers.

"I would like to say that problems happen because, one, you act without thinking, and two, you just keep thinking but do not act. I would urge people to cast their vote. It is extremely important for our nation's future," Tendulkar told the media.

Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in international cricket with 34,357 runs and 100 centuries in 664 international games, is the only cricketer with a century of centuries in international cricket. He was also part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is a crucial part of the seven-phase electoral process, with extensive arrangements made to ensure a smooth and secure voting experience. Elections are being held in six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai: Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South, and Mumbai South Central. Other constituencies in Maharashtra participating in this phase include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, and Thane. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second largest number after Uttar Pradesh.

This phase witnesses key contests in various constituencies. Prominent leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya are vying for electoral success. Eight states/UTs going to the polls in phase 5 include Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. 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.

To ensure a peaceful voting environment, 2,000 flying squads, 2,105 static surveillance teams, 881 video surveillance teams, and 502 video viewing teams are monitoring the 94,732 polling stations round the clock.

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