The dangerous “revdi” culture — the practice of Indian political parties offering costly freebies — is taking root in Mumbai’s civic politics. As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections draw closer, political parties that have ruled the city’s civic body are now dangling a range of freebies before voters to retain control, raising a basic question: Should the BMC be treated like a welfare ministry or should those seeking control of India’s richest civic body focus on fixing Mumbai’s everyday problems?

This debate goes to the heart of what citizens expect from their civic government. For most citizens, the priority is not handouts but better roads, flood-free monsoons, reliable water supply, clean hospitals, and efficient waste management — basic civic services for which the BMC is meant to be accountable. These are not demands for luxuries, but expectations from a city that pays heavily into the system.