Veteran actor Javed Akhtar and his wife Shabana Azmi were among those who stepped out to participate in the 'celebration of democracy' by casting their votes here on Monday.
Javed also criticised the people who continuously complain about the governments which failed to keep up with their promise. "We people are in the habit of complaining, be it any political party in power," he said.
Throwing light on the importance of voting in India and how people are fortunate enough to vote, Javed told the media persons: "We have been levied with the responsibility of voting and trust me in entire Asia you see there are very few countries that are fortunate enough to vote."
As for versatile actor Ranjeet, stepping out of the house to cast his vote was like a holy bathe in Prayagraj. "As I was stepping out of my house to come here, I felt like I was going for a bath in Prayagraj," he said.
Using their star power, celebrities continued to urge their fans to exercise their right to vote and chose the deserving candidate.
"It's important for the country to get developed and to do so only the right kind of government should be in power. We should be proud of ourselves that we as citizens have the the responsibility to bring that government in power," said Pankaj Udhas, 'Chitthi Aayee Hai' singer while talking to .
Elections began in 288 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. The counting of votes will be held on October 24.
In Mumbai, 9,894 polling stations have been set up at 1,537 locations for voting. 36 out of 288 seats come are in the city of Mumbai where 334 candidates are in the fray. The city has 97.72 lakh registered voters.
( With inputs from ANI )