Another contestant has entered the battle for the western Sydney seat of Parramatta putting more pressure on Labor and the Liberals for the crucial electorate.
Cumberland City councillor and former mayor Steve Christou announced he'll be standing as an independent at the looming federal election.
It follows the Liberals naming small business advocate Maria Kovacic as their candidate and Labor's pick of Andrew Charlton.
Western Sydney is set to be a key battleground in the yet-to-be-announced federal election as the major parties look to pick up extra seats.
Cr Christou said Dr Charlton - who currently lives in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs - has been "parachuted" into Parramatta.
"[Labor] are opportunists who searched around for a place to land their rich mate, who was a former advisor to Kevin Rudd," Cr Christou said.
"What would a multi-millionaire know about the needs of hard-working Australians?"
He said the Liberals were only pretending to care about Parramatta after refusing to run in the seat and in the local council, resulting in the council being "taken over by woke Left-wing extremists".
"It's amazing that the Liberal Party is now asking the same residents, who they have betrayed and abandoned, for their support and approval," Cr Christou said.
He said Parramatta residents were still struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns.
"Tens of thousands of people were unable to go to work and support their families," Cr Christou said.
"They were unable to pay their mortgage, rent, bills, or put food on the table to feed their children."
During last year's Delta lockdown in Sydney, then-mayor Cr Christou likened restrictions to living in Nazi Germany, copping backlash from NSW Police Minister David Elliott.
He was critical of the use of defence personnel to help with curfew, which earned him the title of a "nobody mayor" from federal Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
Cr Christou has called other councils refusing to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day as "pathetic, lazy, un-Australian".
Parramatta is currently held by outgoing Labor MP Julie Owens, who has held the electorate for 18 years and retained it at the last election despite a 4.2 per cent swing towards the Liberals.
Meanwhile, Ms Kovacic's candidacy could be short lived if a legal challenge mounted by the NSW party executive is successful, with the state branch challenging the preselection of three key Morrison government ministers by federal Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
If the challenge successful, it could throw a cloud over other candidate's handpicked by Mr Hawke and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, including Ms Kovacic.
The Greens and the United Australia Party also have candidates in Parramatta.
