Overview
- Party leaders held a nearly five-hour meeting late on Sunday that concluded with the Ajit Pawar faction finalising Vikram Kakade for the Pune Legislative Council seat.
- On Monday Vikram and his father, BJP MP Sanjay Kakade, formally joined the NCP in the presence of Parth Pawar, making the selection official.
- The pick has provoked immediate internal protest, including the resignation of Parvati constituency office-bearer Ramdas Gade and public complaints from local leaders who say loyal party workers were bypassed.
- Kakade is described in reports as close to senior Pawar figures, active in real estate, and a former national-level shooter, and his ties to state leaders are cited as factors in the decision.
- The contest matters because MLC seats are chosen by local body representatives, so this surprise induction could affect ground-level mobilization and risk cross-voting that would alter the Mahayuti alliance’s expected margin.