India, Nov. 7 -- The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Maharashtra chief electoral officer to consider the application of an 18-year-old college student from Mumbai seeking to be added to the electoral rolls for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The HC however, warned that if every individual began submitting voter enrolment applications immediately upon turning 18, it would overwhelm the authorities with verification work and "open the floodgates".

The petitioner, Rupika Anil Singh, turned 18 in March 2024 and applied to register as a first-time voter soon after. However, her application was rejected on the ground that she had crossed the qualifying cut-o...