As the Maharashtra Assembly elections kicked off on Wednesday morning, Bollywood siblings Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar were among the first to cast their votes.

The duo was spotted arriving together at a polling booth in Bandra, Mumbai, looking eager to exercise their democratic right. After voting, the Akhtar siblings posed for the paparazzi, displaying their inked fingers to encourage others to head to the polls.

Farhan and Zoya Akhtar’s appearance added a dash of glamour to the election day, with several other celebrities also spotted casting their votes early. Notable names such as Akshay Kumar, RajKummar Rao, and director Kabir Khan arrived at their respective polling booths.

Polling for the single-phase election began at 7 a.m. and will run until 6 p.m. today, with voters across 288 constituencies in the state heading to the polls. A total of 4,136 candidates are contesting this year’s election, including 2,086 independents.

The political landscape remains fiercely contested, with major parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress all vying for power.

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The BJP has fielded candidates in 149 seats, while its allies Shiv Sena (BJP faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) are contesting 81 and 59 seats, respectively. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), is looking to retain its hold on the state, with the Congress fielding 101 candidates. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is contesting 237 seats, adding more diversity to the electoral battle. Maharashtra has approximately 9.7 crore eligible voters.

Security arrangements have been tight for the elections, with the Mumbai Police deploying over 25,000 personnel, including riot-control teams and home guards, to ensure a smooth voting process. In addition, over 2,000 police officers are on duty to maintain law and order throughout the day.

The race for the Maharashtra Assembly is a high-stakes affair, marked by shifting political alliances and ideological clashes. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance faces off against the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi, with both sides fighting for dominance in the state legislature. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 105 seats, with Shiv Sena at 56 and Congress at 44, setting the stage for another closely watched contest.