Mumbai’s massive hawker bloc seems to be the new plank for BJP to win the civic elections. With the hawkers’ issue simmering for a long time, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rajhans Singh last week met Municipal Commissioner IS Chahal, asking him to take a call on the much-debated and controversial hawking policy. Political analysts say the issue could get the north Indian votebank in favour of BJP.

The BMC needs to take a call, either here or there. It cannot sit on the fence. The hawkers’ policy will decide the fate of so many of them. It is not just about hawking and allowing them space, but it is about employment and life,” Singh told mid-day. He said citizens too would gain in a big way as the policy would get the scattered hawkers aligned properly and systematically.