MVA’s Pune misfire exposes schisms

The unopposed election of Vikram Kakade to the Legislative Council has triggered fresh recriminations within the opposition coalition.

Vikram Kakade

Pune: As expected, Vikram Kakade of the Mahayuti was elected unopposed from the Pune Local Authorities’ constituency of the Legislative Council. While celebrations broke out within the Mahayuti following the election, the chaos within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) emerged as a major talking point.

Former MP Sanjay Kakade, a close associate of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last week along with his son, Vikram Kakade. Within hours of joining, Vikram was awarded the Legislative Council nomination. Vikram is a friend of Parth Pawar, while his father is known to be an admirer of Chief Minister Fadnavis. This coincidence sparked speculation about who may have facilitated their entry into the NCP. While the discussion has surfaced only now, political observers had been speculating for the past two or three months that Vikram Kakade would be the NCP candidate and would eventually secure the seat.

Shrikant Patil of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) - a constituent of the MVA - had also filed a nomination paper, which was projected as the alliance’s official candidature. Patil had raised objections regarding certain details in Kakade’s nomination papers, but election officials had rejected them. Speaking to the media, Patil expressed dissatisfaction with the decision and warned that he would approach the court. However, on the final day for withdrawal of nominations, Patil withdrew his candidature, thereby clearing the path for Kakade’s election.

Upset Congress

These developments triggered discontent among Congress workers. The party had been preparing to contest the election, but the Sharad Pawar faction, after claiming the seat, withdrew at the last moment. Congress workers began questioning how long the party should continue in an alliance where it appeared to be playing second fiddle. Prashant Jagtap, the Congress’ city president and former mayor, took a firm stand and directly alleged that the party had been ‘betrayed.’

Similarly, Vasant More, city chief of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, reacted sharply to the withdrawal of the Sharad Pawar faction’s candidate. He pointed out that alliance candidate Shrikant Patil had not even informed coalition partners before withdrawing his nomination. More questioned whether the Pawar faction would initiate action against Patil. However, MLA Rohit Pawar dismissed the demand for disciplinary action. He argued that the ruling alliance had deployed enormous financial resources, claiming that the Mahayuti candidate was prepared to spend as much as Rs. 50 crore. According to Pawar, Patil withdrew because of this overwhelming financial muscle and the fact that nearly 70 per cent of the votes in the constituency were with the Mahayuti.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has not accepted this explanation. Its leaders have questioned whether the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) was unaware of these realities when it decided to field a candidate in the first place.

Rohit Pawar also expressed surprise after learning that Vikram Kakade, the candidate fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party, had reportedly lent Rs. 10 crore to Jay Pawar. He questioned whether Kakade’s nomination was linked to this loan. Pawar remarked that when he seeks a loan, no one readily provides one and that people generally have to approach banks. He said he had only recently learned that a businessman could lend Rs. 10 crore to a young individual. Pawar added that the leadership of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party would have to explain why, how and at whose behest such a loan was granted.

For now, political discussion continues to revolve around the withdrawal of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate, the role of money power in the election, and the deepening strains within the Maha Vikas Aghadi.