Delhi polls: Bharatanatyam dancer Aranyani votes for harmony, peace

Bharatanatyam dancer Aranyani Bhargav patiently waited in a queue for her turn to vote, occasionally cradling her nine-month-old child in a baby carrier strapped to her body. Three generations of the Bhargav family were at the polling booth at Nirman Bhavan in central Delhi on Saturday.

The Kohl-eyed, 34-year-old artistic director, accompanied by her parents Rajeev Bhargav and Tani Bhargav, said she has chosen development over the issue of nationalism. "I voted for the development of Delhi, harmony and peace... I am against people pitching one community against another," she said.

"I believe in a peaceful, secular and inclusive India. If we stick only to our own community, it would be very difficult for someone like who is from north India to practise Bharatnatyam which is a south Indian dance form," she said. Asked why she carried her baby along, she said, "I wanted to initiate my baby early ... into being politically aware, responsible citizen."

Bhargav had performed in the sixth month of her pregnancy. Her mother, Tani Bhargav, said she voted "for the rights of the people of Shaheen Bagh".