Maharashtra SEC will adopt the same voter list of assembly polls for civic elections: HC told

The State Election Commission will adopt the voters' list of the assembly elections for civic polls, the Bombay HC was told on Tuesday, while hearing a plea by an 18-year-old woman who claimed her application to enrol as a voter after she turned 18 in April 2025 was not accepted.

The petitioner, Rupika Singh, stated that her application was not accepted as the cut-off date in the state was October 1, 2024. The elections to Maharashtra assembly were held in November, 2024.

Claiming violation of her statutory right to vote, Singh requested the HC to direct the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer to ensure that her application is accepted and processed in a time-bound manner.


She also sought the HC's directive to the State Election Commission to include her name in the electoral roll pending hearing and disposal of the petition.

Advocate Ashutosh Kumbakoni, appearing for the State Election Commission, told a bench of Justices R I Chagla and Farhan Dubash, that the same voter list of the assembly polls would be adopted for the civic polls.

Singh's petition stated that the draft electoral roll for all municipal corporations will be published on November 6.

Unless the petitioner is enrolled as a voter, her name will not be included in the electoral roll for BMC elections, the petition said.

After turning 18 in April this year, Singh tried to apply through the Election Commission of India's portal to enrol herself as a voter. However, she could not submit her application because there was no option for citizens of Maharashtra who attained 18 years on or after October 2, 2024, to select their date of birth.

Singh then tried to submit her application offline, but that too was not accepted, her petition said.

She later learnt that July 1, 2025, was notified as the enrolment cut-off date for local body elections, which meant that only those young citizens whose names are included in the voters' list as on July 1, 2025, will be permitted to vote.

Singh claimed non-acceptance of her application has resulted in "violation of her freedom of expression in the form of casting a vote".

It has resulted in her becoming ineligible to vote in the upcoming elections "to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation despite being legally entitled and eligible to vote and elect a representative of her choice", the petition added.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday.