India, Oct. 7 -- Excited to cast her first vote, 18-year-old Rupika Anil Singh did everything by the book - collected the required documents, confirmed her eligibility, and applied to register as a voter in April this year. But when she attempted to enrol online, her application was denied. The reason: she had turned 18 in April 2024, after the stipulated cut-off date of October 1, 2023.

Undeterred, Singh tried again - this time offline - at Booth 181 in the Mahim Assembly constituency, where her family lives. She was turned back once more, told that only those who had turned 18 before the previous October were eligible to be added to the rolls.

She decided to wait and watch for the next revision, hoping the cut-off would be updated. Bu...