MUMBAI, Jan. 13 -- Once upon a time, BMC election manifestos promised roads without potholes, water without leaks and timely disposal of garbage. Today, somewhere between '24x7 water supply' and 'world-class infrastructure', a new constituency has wagged its way in-the canine loving voter. Citizens' charters now speak of pet parks, crematoriums and designated feeding zones as if pedigrees and strays have unionised and submitted a joint memorandum. Political parties, not to be outdone, are courting this four-legged vote bank with the seriousness once reserved for coastal roads and metro lines. On Monday, an event 'Dog walks and neighbourhood talks' organised by the Oval Cooperage Residents Association had around 30 to 40 pet owners, with comedian Cyrus Broacha and food critic Kunal Vijayakar petitioning two candidates Makarand Narwekar and Dr Gauravi Shivalkar Narwekar from wards 226 and 227. Makarand has promised a pet policy with pet-friendly initiatives for canine lovers. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS manifesto too has promised a pet park, pet clinic, pet creche, pet ambulance and pet crematorium in every ward in Mumbai. Cyrus Broacha told HT that with the Supreme Court directive on stray dogs looming, pet lovers need corporators who are compassionate towards animals. "The idea is to create dog parks, improve cleanliness, and ensure enough dustbins so that tensions with anti-dog groups reduce. This isn't just about electricity, water or roads; dogs are part of our lives too," he said. Broacha noted that the hostility towards street dogs had become "overly emotional" and stressed the need for coexistence. "But dog lovers must meet non-dog lovers halfway," he said. "Civic sense is crucial; people must clean up after their pets. I always carry paper when I walk my dogs. Broacha added that while pet crematoriums were needed, "for me, parks and cleanliness matter more". While this demand emerges from the elite in South Mumbai and could be mocked as a "first-world problem", there are instances of dog-focused citizens' charters in the suburbs too. At Thakur Village in Kandivali, residents, under the banner of Soch Sayani headed by Harsha Kumara Udupi, have rolled out a manifesto that calls for feeding zones that are carefully spaced out to ensure that humans and stray dogs co-exist peacefully and to prevent territorial disputes. The NGO has also asked for regular, humane sterilisation drives in collaboration with NGOs, complete with assured post-operative care. Periodic and well-announced vaccination drives are also on the list, protecting both the two-legged and four-legged residents of the neighbourhood. Not stopping there, the manifesto suggests fluorescent collars with QR codes or RFID tags for stray dogs, allowing tracking of vaccination, sterilisation and health status. A dedicated pet park finds pride of place in the manifesto-a safe recreational space where pets can run free while owners discuss how hard it is to find parking. In some wards, it now appears easier to find a proposal for a pet park than a solution to parking and traffic congestion. In the great democracy of urban living, the bark is inching its way into the ballot. After all, in city politics, loyalty matters and nobody does loyalty better than a dog....