India General Elections 2024: Virar salon treats voters to free haircuts on polling day

12 of the hairstylists were completely occupied. Pics/Hanif Patel

Those who voted were treated to complimentary haircuts on polling day at a unisex salon in Virar East. The salon owner posted an advertisement on social media that encouraged eligible voters to cast their vote on Monday in the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, where 10 candidates are fighting the election.

Those who voted were treated to a free haircut from 7 am-6 pm on Monday. The owner, Sanket Kailash Sonawane, learnt basic hair-cutting techniques from his father and honed his skills at Sassoon Academy in London.

Ankit Sanket Salon in Virar East

Talking to mid-day, Sanket Kailash Sonawane said, "My father has been running this salon since 1991. After I joined him in the business, I thought of returning something to the community. So, I decided to give free haircut services on the polling day to those who voted."

"We posted an advertisement on social media that those voters with an inked finger would be given free haircut services on polling day. This was done to encourage people to come out to vote so that the voting percentage can be enhanced in Palghar Lok Sabha Constituency," said Sonawane, who runs a seven-seater Ankit-Sanket Salon in Virar East, having a branch in Nalasopara.

"12 staff members at the salon remained completely occupied, as back-to-back customers walked for the free haircuts after exercising their voting rights," Sonawane said.

"Generally, 40-50 customers come every day but on polling day, a total of 140 customers walked in till 4 pm at the salon," Sonawane added.

140
No. of customers that turned up until 4 pm