BMC declares hawkers’ committee poll results; 54 members elected, 10 seats vacant

The election saw participation from 32,415 registered voters from the street vendors’ community, of whom 15,085 cast their votes, recording a turnout of 49.46%

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday announced the results of the long-awaited elections for the Town Street Vendors (Hawkers) Committee, covering the main committee and seven zonal committees across the city. The results were also submitted before the Bombay High Court as part of the compliance process.

BMC declares hawkers’ committee poll results; 54 members elected, 10 seats vacant

The Town Street Vendors (Hawkers) Committee is responsible for regulating, licensing and surveying street vendors, with the aim of protecting livelihoods while managing public spaces.

The election saw participation from 32,415 registered voters from the street vendors’ community, of whom 15,085 cast their votes, recording a turnout of 49.46%.

The polls were conducted for a total of 64 posts, including eight members for the main Town Street Vendors Committee and 56 members across seven zonal committees. Of these, 54 members were elected, while 10 seats remained vacant due to the unavailability of candidates in certain reserved categories. Certificates were distributed to the elected members by the election decision officer after the completion of counting.

The elections are part of the implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which mandates the formation of such committees.

The TVC is a crucial statutory body tasked with identifying eligible hawkers, demarcating hawking and non-hawking zones, issuing licences, and ensuring orderly street vending across Mumbai. The committee includes representatives of street vendors, civic officials, police, NGOs and resident groups, with 40% representation reserved for elected hawker members. In addition to the main TVC, there are seven zonal committees.

Mumbai has seen significant delays in forming the TVC, despite the law coming into force more than a decade ago. The BMC conducted the elections in August 2024 for the central and zonal committees, marking a key step towards implementing the Act.

Although around 32,000 eligible hawkers voted, with a turnout of nearly 49.46%, the results were not declared immediately due to legal challenges and court interventions. The BMC declared the results following a Bombay High Court directive issued last week.

Counting began at noon on March 28 after 136 ballot boxes stored in a strong room were brought out and handed over to election authorities. Around 200 to 250 staff members from the BMC’s licensing department assisted in the process, conducted in the presence of Deputy Commissioner (Special) Vinayak Vispute, Licensing Superintendent Anil Kate and other officials.

In the main TVC, seven members were elected across categories, including two from the open category and one each from open women, disabled women, Scheduled Castes, minority women and Other Backward Classes. The Scheduled Tribes seat remained vacant due to the absence of candidates.

Across the seven zonal committees, several members were elected through voting, while some were elected unopposed in reserved categories. In multiple zones, seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes and certain women’s categories remained vacant due to a lack of candidates. The results reflect a mix of contested and unopposed elections across categories such as open, women, disabled, Scheduled Castes, minorities and OBCs.

A total of 1,46,076 ballot papers were used in the election process.

Representatives and candidates from several hawkers’ unions, including Azad Hawkers Union, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Divyang Pathvikreta Welfare Sangh, Mumbai Feriwala Sena, Janwadi Hawkers Sabha and Maharashtra Hawkers Union, were present during the vote counting held on March 28 and 29.

Deputy commissioner (special) Vinayak Vispute said the entire election process was conducted in accordance with High Court directions, government guidelines and election rules. He added that a proposal to appoint government and non-government members to the Town Street Vendors Committee, along with the elected members, will soon be sent to the state government for approval, after which the committee will be formally constituted and begin functioning.