 MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday accused Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar of threatening a municipal election){kind=link}
Colaba civic poll candidate claims pressure, cash offers to withdraw nomination
January 7, 2026: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday accused Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar of threatening a municipal election candidate and her family in Mumbai’s Colaba constituency. The allegations surfaced after Ward No. 226 candidate Tejal Pawar and her husband Deepak Pawar addressed a press conference at Shiv Sena Bhavan, claiming they were subjected to sustained pressure to withdraw from the civic polls.
Tejal Pawar alleged that after filing her nomination on December 30, her husband was taken to Narwekar’s office, following which she was asked over the phone to withdraw her candidature. She further claimed that the Speaker’s personal assistant later visited their home and offered money, initially in lakhs and later in crores, in exchange for withdrawing from the election. Pawar said she refused the offer and declined to engage further when the assistant allegedly returned the next day.
Deepak Pawar alleged that he was repeatedly called and intimidated, claiming he was forcibly taken to the Speaker’s office and threatened. He said Narwekar questioned his wife’s decision to contest and warned him to decide “whether you want to stay in Colaba or not”. Backing the allegations, Arvind Sawant accused the Speaker of misuse of power and demanded accountability. Rahul Narwekar has not issued any public response to the claims so far.