Watch: Manu Bhaker casts vote ‘for the first time’

Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker exercised her right to vote in the 2024 Haryana Elections, encouraging citizens, especially the youth, to participate in the democratic process. Manu, along with her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, cast her vote at a polling station in Charkhi Dadri on October 5.
“Being the youth of this country, it is our responsibility to cast our vote for the most favourable candidate. Small steps lead to big goals. I voted for the first time,” Manu Bhaker told ANI.
Her father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, expressed his pride in Manu being a role model for young voters. He also stressed the significance of voting.
“Manu is the brand ambassador and a youth icon for voting. She had to come. We vote in every election. How will our village develop if we do not vote… I would request everyone to come out and vote. It’s better to come out today than to curse the government for the next five years…” Manu Bhaker’s father said.
Major political parties like the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are competing for power in Haryana. The BJP seeks a third consecutive term while Congress aims to regain control, with issues such as farmer protests and wrestler protests influencing voters.
Voting will take place across 90 constituencies, with 1,031 candidates contesting. The elections will be held from 7 am to 6 pm, with over 20,000 polling booths set up for voters. Over 2 crore voters, including 467 from the third gender, are eligible to vote.
Manu Bhaker was earlier asked about her potential biopic. She said she wasn’t ready for a Bollywood version of her life yet as her career had more to unfold. She mentioned at the Conclave Mumbai 2024 that there would be many actors to choose from when a movie about her was considered.
When told that Bollywood actor Ananya Panday had shown interest in playing her, Manu praised Ananya’s recent work, particularly her performance in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which she found impressive. Panday’s CTRL is streaming on Netflix. The OTT thriller has received rave reviews from viewers.
(With ANI inputs)