NEW DELHI: Street vendors in Delhi have demanded that only registered vendors be allowed to contest and vote in the upcoming Town Vending Committee (TVC) elections, raising concerns over the participation of non-vendors and alleged irregularities in the process, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
The demands were raised at a meeting organised by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), which brought together around 200 street vendor leaders to discuss the forthcoming TVC elections and the list of issues affecting the vendors.
The gathering adopted four resolutions, including a demand that only active street vendors should be permitted to contest elections under the vendor quota and that ‘tehbazari’ holders without a valid Certificate of Vending (CoV) under the Street Vendors Act, 2014, should neither be allowed to vote nor contest.
“Tehbazari holders who do not hold a Certificate of Vending (CoV) under the Street Vendor’s Act 2014 cannot be allowed to vote and stand for elections,” one of the resolutions adopted at the meeting said.
The members also sought a clear criterion for recognising vendor associations to ensure that genuine organisations working for street vendors are able to participate in the process.