Parth tightens grip on NCP

A contentious candidate selection in the Legislative Council election suggests a decisive shift in NCP’s internal balance of power

Pune: Ahead of the Legislative Council elections for the Local Self-Government Constituencies, MP and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) General Secretary Parth Pawar now appears to wield decisive influence over the party’s internal decision-making.

The NCP had staked its claim to the Pune Local Self-Government Constituency seat in the Legislative Council and, during seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahayuti alliance, succeeded in securing it. Given the alliance’s numerical strength across the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations as well as several municipal councils, the election of the NCP’s nominee is widely regarded as a formality. Yet the seemingly straightforward contest exposed deeper tensions within the party over the question of who would ultimately receive the nomination.

Internal Tensions

Several senior leaders were in contention, including former MLA Vilas Lande, Pimpri-Chinchwad City President Yogesh Behl, former MLA Sunil Tingre and former Pune City President Deepak Mankar. Among them, Tingre moved first by filing his nomination papers and subsequently informed the media that he had done so only after receiving instructions from the party leadership. At roughly the same time, Vikram Kakade, son of former MP Sanjay Kakade, also submitted his nomination papers. Soon afterwards, the party officially declared Kakade as its authorised candidate. Senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil later clarified that Tingre’s candidature had merely been a ‘dummy’ nomination.

The decision triggered visible discontent. Former MLA Vilas Lande openly questioned the basis on which the candidate had been selected, suggesting that financial considerations had outweighed political credentials. In a pointed remark, he observed that while few in the party knew “which mine” Vikram Kakade had emerged from, the organisation had nevertheless ‘discovered’ him.

Political observers are scarcely surprised. Kakade is known to be a close associate of Parth Pawar, and speculation had been circulating for days that he would eventually secure the nomination. Before filing their papers, both Sanjay Kakade and his son formally joined the NCP. The move was significant. As a former BJP MP, Sanjay Kakade had been entrusted with major campaign responsibilities during both the 2017 Pune Municipal Corporation elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Long regarded as a close confidant of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his departure from the BJP has generated considerable discussion in Maharashtra’s political circles.

More consequential than the defection itself, however, is what it reveals about the evolving power structure within the NCP. The episode has reinforced perceptions that Parth Pawar played a pivotal role in the candidate-selection process. While Sunetra Pawar formally occupies the position of National President, many within the party increasingly view Parth Pawar as the figure exercising substantial influence over strategic decisions.

The sharpest indication of the unease this transition has generated came from Vilas Lande. His lament that “we have been left helpless following the demise of Ajitdada; we now have no one standing by our side” was more than a personal grievance. It reflected a wider sentiment among sections of the party’s old guard who appear uncertain about their place in an organisation undergoing a rapid redistribution of influence.

Whether the Kakade candidature proves electorally consequential remains to be seen. But the events surrounding its selection have already served a larger political purpose: they have illuminated the emergence of a new centre of authority within the NCP. As power arrangements continue to evolve, the repercussions are likely to extend beyond Pune, shaping political calculations across Western Maharashtra in the months ahead.