MUMBAI: The NCP on Monday nominated Vikram Kakade for the legislative council election from the Pune Local Authorities Constituency, overlooking several senior aspirants, including former MLA Sunil Tingre. The decision has sparked resentment within the Pune unit, as Kakade was not even a member of the party when he was chosen. He formally joined the NCP only hours later, along with his father, former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade, at Ajit Pawar’s Jijai bungalow in Pune.Parth Pawar aide and political newbie picked for Pune council seatA senior NCP functionary said the decision was largely due to Vikram’s proximity to Parth Pawar, Rajya Sabha MP and party chief Sunetra Pawar’s son. “Vikram’s selection indicates how Parth is now calling the shots in the party with silent approval from his mother,” said the functionary. “He has emerged as a new power centre in the NCP.”Insiders believe that former MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s nomination to the legislative council on April 30 was also Parth’s decision. A senior NCP leader recounted a core committee meeting to discuss candidates for the council polls, where, after hearing all the senior leaders’ views, Parth requested them to authorise Sunetra to take the final call. “No one was in a position to oppose the suggestion, and eventually Zeeshan Siddique’s name was announced,” the leader said. Another core committee meeting held last Friday reportedly led to Vikram Kakade’s name being finalised in a similar manner.It is also alleged that it was Parth who asked senior leader Idris Naikwadi to vacate his MLC position to accommodate another candidate. Naikwadi, however, denied any such development and has made it clear that he has no intention of stepping down.These developments have deepened the unease among senior NCP leaders, many of whom feel increasingly sidelined in the new organisational structure that has emerged after Ajit Pawar’s death. The first significant signal came when, after her selection as party chief, Sunetra wrote to the Election Commission about the NCP’s restructured national executive. It had six new nominees, all close aides of Parth, while some seniors were removed.The 36-year-old Parth became increasingly active in party affairs soon after Ajit’s death. Within a month, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and subsequently elected. He was later inducted into the party’s National Working Committee, the NCP’s highest decision-making body, and appointed national general secretary and coordinator—positions that placed him at the centre of the party’s organisational strategy.According to party leaders, Parth’s rapid rise was a conscious effort to consolidate decision-making within the Pawar family. “His Rajya Sabha elevation was a clear indication that he would take charge of political networking in New Delhi. The family wanted to send a message that it no longer needed intermediaries for these responsibilities,” an NCP MLA said.The shifting power dynamics within the NCP have increasingly divided the party into rival camps. The fault lines became evident during a core committee meeting on May 18, when senior leaders, including Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, demanded the restoration of their positions in the National Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body. They also pressed for the inclusion of senior leaders Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde and Anil Patil and sought the removal of general secretary Subodh Mohite and national secretary Sanjay Prajapati.The leadership is yet to act on these demands. However, since the meeting, there have been sustained efforts to project an image of unity and downplay the rift.Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil claimed there was no dispute over Kakade’s nomination. “It was filed by the NCP on behalf of the Mahayuti coalition and supported by senior and local leaders,” he said. “No one is unhappy, and if someone is, they will be persuaded.”