NCP’s Vikram Kakade was elected unopposed to Maharashtra Legislative Council from Pune Local Authorities constituency
Pune, 04 June 2026: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Vikram Kakade was on Thursday elected unopposed to the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the Pune Local Authorities constituency after all rival candidates, including NCP (SP) nominee Shrikant Patil, withdrew their nominations on the final day of withdrawal.
The withdrawal of candidates paved the way for Kakade’s unanimous election, averting what was shaping up to be a direct contest between the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP, backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), which is part of MVA alliance.
Kakade, son of former BJP MP Sanjay Kakade, had joined the NCP along with his father on the last day of filing nominations and was subsequently fielded as the party’s candidate. Given the numerical strength enjoyed by the NCP and its Mahayuti allies in the local authorities electorate, the party was widely considered to have an advantage in the contest.
Besides Patil, BJP rebel Pradip Kand and Shiv Sena rebel Ranjeet Jare also withdrew their nominations, leaving Kakade as the lone candidate in the fray.
Patil later issued a statement explaining his decision to withdraw. “Respecting the request made by Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar, and acting on the guidance of our party president Sharad Pawar, we have decided to withdraw from the election. The decision has been taken to prevent horse-trading and uphold democratic values,” he said.
Patil added that the party believed in maintaining transparency and fairness in the electoral process and had taken the decision in keeping with its value-based approach to politics.
The Pune Local Authorities constituency election had initially drawn attention as one of the few contests where the two rival NCP factions were set to face each other directly. However, the withdrawal of opposition candidates ensured Kakade’s entry into the Legislative Council without a contest.
