Mumbai: BMC Street Vendors Election Sees 49.46% Turnout; Results Await SC Decision

Mumbai: Elections to select Hawkers Representative in the Town Vending Committee (TVC) under Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was conducted on August 29. The elections, held for the apex committee of city street vendors and seven regional committees, recorded an average voter turnout of 49.46 percent.

However, as per the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the counting of votes and declaration of results have been reserved until further orders. All ballot boxes have been secured in a strong room, pending the court's decision.

The election was organized under the Central Government’s Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, and the corresponding Maharashtra Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2016. The committees are aimed at regulating street vending activities in Mumbai, ensuring fair representation of the vendor community while addressing their concerns and needs.

A total of 237 candidates, including 190 men and 47 women, contested for 64 seats across the eight committees. However, in a significant development, no candidates filed nominations for 10 seats, leaving these positions vacant. Additionally, 17 candidates were elected unopposed due to the absence of any competing nominations for these seats.

This leaves 37 seats across seven circles and the apex committee for which voting took place. The elections were conducted at 67 polling stations across various wards in the city, catering to a total of 32,415 registered voters.

Voter turnout varied across the seven circles, with Circle 7 recording the highest turnout at 63.51 percent. Circle 6 followed closely with 58.50 percent, while Circle 5 saw a turnout of 52.54 percent. The detailed circle-wise voter turnout is as follows:

Circle 1: 43 percent

Circle 2: 35.57 percent

Circle 3: 49 percent

Circle 4: 44.16 percent

Circle 5: 52.54 percent

Circle 6: 58.50 percent

Circle 7: 63.51 percent

Zone wise voters numbers

Zone 1: 7,686

Zone 2: 5,303

Zone 3: 4,668

Zone 4: 7,501

Zone 5: 2,160

Zone 6: 3,033

Zone 7: 2,064