MUMBAI, Dec. 31 -- The approaching municipal elections have left a bitter taste among loyal workers and local leaders across political parties, but a few senior leaders are laughing all the way to the nomination centres. While an unprecedented number of rebels are protesting the way tickets were handed out, at least three politicians have walked away with a small bundle of nominations - for themselves, their spouses, siblings and even distant relatives. They are BJP leader Rahul Narwekar, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh and senior NCP leader Nawab Malik. The BJP, which has always condemned dynastic politics, and even been vocal against it, put family first when it gave away three tickets to the Narwekar family. Rahul Narwekar's brother Makarand, his sister-in-law Harshita, and cousin Gauravi Shivalkar-Narwekar will contest from ward 227 in Cuffe Parade, ward 225 in Fort and ward 226 in Colaba, respectively. Rahul Narwekar himself is a two-time MLA and currently speaker of the Maharashtra assembly. Both Makarand and Harshita are former corporators, winning the last civic elections, while Gauravi is a debutante. The BJP's decision to choose Harshita caused much heartburn in the Mumbai unit of the party, with vice-president Kamlakar Dalvi filing his nomination as an independent candidate from ward 225 in Fort, against her. "I have worked for the party for 38 years, from the days of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. At the age of 56, I was expecting to be rewarded but the party chose otherwise," Kamlakar Dalvi told Hindustan Times. "How many tickets will one family get, especially when prime minister Narendra Modi talks about ending nepotism in politics. Why is the Narwekar family an exception," he asked. Aslam Shaikh, four-time Congress MLA from Malad west assembly constituency, also walked away with a small haul. His son Haider Shaikh will contest from ward 34 in Malad, sister Qumar Jahan Siddiqui from ward 33 in Malad, and son-in-law Saif Ahad Khan from ward 62 in Versova. Both his son and son-in-law are poll debutants. Senior NCP leader and former minister Nawab Malik too has plenty to smile about. His brother Kaptan Malik, sister Saeeda Arif Khan, and Kaptan's daughter-in-law Bushra Malik have been fielded by the NCP from wards 165, 168 and 170, respectively. While Kaptan and Saeeda are former corporators, Bushra is a first-time candidate. Besides, Malik's daughter Sana Malik is the MLA from Anushakti Nagar. As party workers nurse their wounds, the message is clear: loyalty counts but sometimes connections count more....