The commission, however, has not specified how many among these new entrants are first-time voters who have just turned 18, nor has it given a detailed gender break up of these voters.

Opposition leaders have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, calling it politically motivated and a misuse of official platforms during ongoing elections.

A convoy of India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas was stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to several vessels returning to the Persian Gulf.