Have got tickets on merit and not because we are speaker's kin says BJP's Harshita Narwekar

Mumbai, Jan 9 (PTI) Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Harshita Narwekar on Friday said she and two kin got tickets to fight the January 15 Mumbai civic polls due to merit and long-standing public service and not because they are related to Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar.
Replying to a question about three members of the household getting tickets, Harshita Narwekar, who is contesting the upcoming civic poll from ward 225 in Colaba in south Mumbai, told PTI that her family has been active in public life in the area for over four decades.
Rahul Narwekar is her brother-in-law.
"Devendra Fadnavis had invited us to join the BJP in 2017, while Rahul Narwekar joined the party in 2019. We have been corporators since 2017, and our family has been serving Colaba area for over 40 years. Our work is based on merit and public expectations," she said.
She said Fort area, which is part of her civic ward, faces various issues requiring focused attention.
"Being a heritage precinct, it needs urgent redevelopment as many buildings are old and dilapidated. Funds have already been allotted for repairs due to the efforts of Rahul Narwekar," she pointed out.
Harshita Narwekar, who is seeking a second term of corporator, said improving waste management and addressing water shortages through new reservoirs would be her key priorities for the area.
She said she would take up the issue of illegal hawkers with the BMC, besides problems like lack of parking space.
Three kin of Rahul Narwekar are in contesting from wards 225, 226 and 227.
In 2017, Harshita Narwekar had contested successfully from ward 226, but this time she has been fielded from ward 225.
Her brother-in-law Makarand Narwekar is contesting from 226 ward instead of ward 227, which has been reserved for women. Another relative is contesting from ward 227.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)