New Delhi:

Akshay Kumar cast his first vote as an Indian citizen in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Polls 2024 on Monday in Mumbai. After casting his vote, Akshay Kumar interacted with media. Akshay Kumar wore a sea-green coloured shirt. He cast his vote around 7 AM in the morning. He told media stationed outside the polling booth, “I have cast my vote. The rest of India will vote what they think is right.” FYI, Akshay Kumar had been granted Indian citizenship on the 77th Independence Day of the country after he renounced his Canadian passport. When asked about the average low turnout in Mumbai which the nation witnesses every year, Akshay Kumar jokingly said, “Abhi toh suru hua hai. Abhi tune bol diya (It’s just started. And you have declared it so early)” Then he added, “I have seen around 500-600 people turned up as early as 7 in the morning. I hope this time more and more people will cast their vote.”

When asked about how he feels after casting vote as an Indian citizen, he said, “It feels great.”

After Akshay Kumar received his Indian citizenship, he shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). He wrote, “Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!” Take a look:

Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani.
Happy Independence Day!
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/DLH0DtbGxk

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 15, 2023

Akshay Kumar had earlier said that he felt disappointed when people questioned his “love for the country”. “India is everything to me… Whatever I have earned, whatever I have gained is from here. And I’m fortunate that I get a chance to give back. You feel bad when people say things without knowing anything…,” Mr Kumar had said in an interview with news channel Aajtak. He had applied for the Indian citizenship in 2019, however, the process had been delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

In Maharashtra, polling was held in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies, including six in Mumbai. Piyush Goyal, Bharati Pawar (Dindori) and Kapil Patil (Bhiwandi) are among the key candidates of the BJP, which has also fielded prominent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North Central).

According to the Election Commission, in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha election, more than 8.95 crore voters, including 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females, and 5,409 third-gender electors will decide the fate of 695 candidates.