23 April,2026 01:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rajinikanth with daughter Soundarya
Superstar Rajinikanth and his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth on Thursday joined scores of others from the state and exercised their right to vote in the intensely contested elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. Rajinikanth, who arrived with his younger daughter, director Soundarya Rajinikanth, at Stella Maris College for Women, proudly displayed his inked finger to the media after casting his vote.
The Superstar, who was mobbed by fans and mediapersons after casting his vote, was escorted by police personnel to the safety of his car. Videos of the superstar casting his vote have now surfaced on social media. They have also sparked concern over his privacy while voting.
The voting process is supposed to be private, and for whom an individual casts a vote is meant to be confidential. However, in the videos circulating on social media, camerapersons were seen getting very close to the Jailer star as he cast his vote. Not just that, but netizens also questioned the presence of polling booth staff, who were quite close to the actor and positioned in a way from where they could easily take a peek at the candidate who earned Rajinikanth's vote.
Despite the commotion, Rajinikanth was seen happily waving to the media personnel at the polling booth.
Several other stars from the Tamil film industry too turned up early to cast their votes in the ongoing election. Politician and actor Kamal Haasan arrived with his daughter Shruti Haasan to cast his vote at a government school in Teynampet. Vikram cast his vote at The Besant Theosophical Higher Secondary School, while Gautham Karthik, the son of actor and politician Karthik, cast his vote at Stella Maris College.
Ajith Kumar, who returned in a hurry to Chennai from Belgium, where he was racing with his car racing team Ajith Kumar Racing, was among the first to turn up to cast his vote in Thiruvanmiyur.
Popular music director Anirudh Ravichander and pan-Indian actor Dhanush cast their votes at St Francis Xavier Middle School in Alwarpet at around 9 am.
Polling for the 234-member Assembly is being held on Thursday, with the counting of votes set for May 4.
