First-time voters share exciting moment, but some found difficulty in finding booths, names

While many experienced a seamless registration process, some, like 19-year-old Alize Shaikh from Dharavi, encountered the dampening of excitement as she scoured various polling stations in search of name on the voter’s list.

Alize, who was eagerly waiting to cast her first vote and sharing the milestone on social media, expressed frustration at the ordeal of hunting down her name under the scorching sun. Despite registering for her voter identity card promptly upon turning 18, it had not arrived.

In contrast, the Faruqui cousins—Fahad, Zainab, and Sharmeen—found their assigned polling booth in Dharavi without any hassle.

Fahad, 19, felt a sense of duty in voting for a deserving candidate, though he admitted to being unfamiliar with the contenders in his constituency. Zainab (19) and Sharmeen (22), clad in burqas, not only had idea of the candidates but also had specific issues guiding their choices. Sharmeen, a bank employee, cited recent hijab ban directives as a direct affront to their religion.

Eighteen-year-old Ranveer Singh Thakur, casting his first vote in Wadala, shared his decision-making process, which involved researching the policies and agendas of various political parties, particularly concerning inflation and the challenges facing working-class communities.

For 22-year-old Yash Patil, an engineer from Shivaji Park in Dadar, the first-time voting experience was smooth. He emphasised the urgency of addressing corruption and other pressing national issues, relying on politically active social media channels for his political awareness.