An 18-year-old MBA Tech student, Rupika Singh, has moved the Bombay High Court requesting that her voter registration be processed in time to let her vote in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. The Maharashtra Election Commission opposed her plea on Tuesday, stating that her name does not appear on the current electoral roll and cannot be added at this stage.
The State Election Commission’s counsel, Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, informed a bench of Justices Riyaz Chagla and Farhan Dubash that the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission function independently. The ECI is responsible for preparing voter lists and conducting Parliamentary and Assembly polls, while the SEC conducts local body elections but relies on voter rolls prepared by the ECI.
Kumbhakoni clarified that the SEC cannot modify the voter list. It only uses the ECI’s list and reorganises it ward-wise for municipal elections. The list being used was finalised for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, with October 1, 2024, as the cut-off. For the BMC elections, the SEC issued a notification setting July 1, 2025, as the cut-off date for the roll, meaning only names included up to that date are eligible.
He also explained how the ECI periodically revises voter rolls by issuing a draft list and inviting objections and new registrations. Citizens who recently turned 18 can apply, but their names will only be added during the next revision cycle. He noted the legal distinction between the statutory right to vote and the constitutional protection given to casting a vote for those already listed on the electoral roll.
Kumbhakoni argued that Singh was effectively seeking a continuous updating system, which is not permitted once the electoral roll for an election has been frozen. Since her name was not on the voter list by the cut-off date, she cannot be added now for the upcoming polls.
The court granted Singh time until November 6 to file further submissions. Her petition asks that the Chief Electoral Officer ensure the timely processing of her voter registration so she can participate in the civic polls expected in January.
