Celebs queue up at Kolkata polling booths

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Be it 'detective Feluda' or the 'prince of Calcutta', celebrities from the world of culture, sports and literature milled at the city's polling booths to cast their vote on Wednesday.

Some took time off from shooting and some came early to beat the heat. They duly stood in queue to exercise their franchise in the third phase of the West Bengal assembly polls, held in Kolkata and two neighbouring districts.

Accompanied by his family members, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly - also known as the 'prince of Calcutta - went to a polling booth in the Behala area on the city's southern outskirts.

Famed archer-siblings Dola and Rahul Banerjee were among the early birds to vote in a polling station at Baranagar in North 24-Parganas district.

"Whenever I am here I make it a point to vote. And if my brother is around, we go together in the morning because then the weather is pleasant," Dola said.

Actor Sabyasachi Chakroborty said: "I had my shooting today but I took time off in the morning to cast my vote and to perform my duty as a citizen of India."

He is well-known as 'Feluda', having portrayed the popular Bengali detective created by Satyajit Ray in several movies.

The father-daughter film star duo of Ranjit Mullick and Koel Mullick were all smiles as they stood in the queue outside a South Kolkata booth.

"We all want our state's development. So to choose the government of my choice I have come here to cast my vote," said Koel, a leading heroine in Bengali movies.

"It's my duty to cast my vote and this time it seems people are more alert and conscious," said her father and yesteryear hero Ranjit Mullick.

A total of 14,419,669 people in Kolkata and the neighbouring districts of North and South 24-Parganas are eligible to elect their representatives from among 479 contestants - many of them stars from the field of politics, including Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

"In the morning I spent time with my family. I will go with my family to cast my vote," said Paoli Dam, an actress.

Sahitya Academy president and eminent writer Sunil Gangopadhyay also exercised his voting right in South Kolkata.

Polls to the 294-member assembly, which started April 18, will end May 10. The counting of votes will take place May 13.