MUMBAI, Jan. 6 -- With the explicit aim of dismantling what they describe as "entrenched dynastic politics" in Colaba-Cuffe Parade, a clutch of independent candidates backed by influential residents' groups has mounted a serious challenge in Mumbai's A ward to three members of sitting MLA Rahul Narwekar's family: former corporators Harshita and Makarand Narwekar and new entrant Dr Gauravi Shivalkar Narwekar. The primary citizen challengers are Dr Laura D'Souza, president of the Cuffe Parade Residents Association, who is standing against Gauravi, while Deepaq Silan, a member of the Clean Heritage Colaba Residents Association, is contesting on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket against Harshita. Drawing support from both slum communities and affluent neighbourhoods, and bolstered by tacit backing from opposition parties, the citizen candidates are tapping into simmering public discontent over projects such as the proposed marina jetty, the displacement of fishers at Sassoon Dock and the unchecked rise of unauthorised hawkers on Colaba Causeway. Several candidates have alleged attempts to block or delay their nomination filing. D'Souza, a doctor, said she had taken a sabbatical to contest. "I have been fighting the local politicians for years for all the illegalities in Cuffe Parade," she said. The activist was also at the forefront of the opposition to the marina jetty proposal, which she challenged in the Supreme Court. Recalling her earlier engagement with civic issues, D'Souza said that when Makarand and Harshita were elected as corporators, residents had welcomed the choice because they were educated. "Then his brother Rahul became the speaker. There was even a banner calling him the King of Maharashtra. That's when I realised this is going south," she said. D'Souza, who initially received a Congress ticket but had to apply as an independent because of a technical error, claimed she was intimidated and asked to withdraw. "I have got a call from the Congress now to support me," she added. While several opposition parties have offered support, she chose to remain independent. Her principal motivation, D'Souza said, was to end the dynastic rule of the Narwekars. "We thought they would do right by the residents. Decisions to help residents should be made on office floors, not at dinner tables," she said. Her opposing candidate, Gauravi Shivalkar Narwekar, a dentist in Cuffe Parade and a BJP candidate, remained unavailable for comment. In Ward 225, Silan said the opposition to the marina jetty proposal had united residents across Colaba. "The whole of Colaba is against the jetty proposal, and still the Narwekars did nothing," he said, alleging that the reason behind this was that the jetty would further the business prospects of Rahul, who owns land in Alibag. "We residents have united to fight against the Narwekars." Among Silan's priorities are securing direct BMC water connections to break the water mafia racket, free public toilets and addressing the closure of a BMC school. In Ward 226, independent candidate Tejal Pawar is contesting against Makarand Narwekar. Her husband, Deepak Pawar, said he had resigned from the Shiv Sena after the Mahayuti alliance fielded candidates against one another. "I had to go underground for three days with my family from December 31 to January 2. I went to the Thackeray cousins and asked for protection," he said, adding that all parties except the BJP were backing his wife. "I belong to the Banjara community and have the support of 7,000 Banjara voters," he added. "I am a middle-class man without power but we all want to challenge the "gharaneshahi" (dynastic politics) in Colaba." Rahul Narwekar, who is accused of mounting pressure on candidates at the nomination centre to withdraw, called it a "false narrative". "The Janata Dal (United) filed a complaint on December 30 saying four candidates couldn't file nominations, but they withdrew it the next day because three had filed and one candidate reached late post 5 pm. The entire incident is recorded on camera," he claimed. On allegations that Pawar was pressured to withdraw his wife's nomination, Narwekar said, "The individual making allegations has no credentials. We are sure to win with huge margins." Rejecting the charge of dynastic politics, he said, "Makarand and Harshita were corporators even before I joined the party. Just because they are related to me, should they be ignored?" Narwekar dismissed the alleged backdoor support to independents from opposition parties as "desperation". "They know their defeat is certain," he said. "That's the only reason they are running helter-skelter to protect their interests."...