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Updated Jun 23, 2026 · 17:56
Maharashtra News Updated Jun 23, 2026

Tilak Varma Proud of Childhood Friend Vikram Kakade's MLC Appointment

Indian cricketer Tilak Varma expressed pride at his childhood friend Vikram Kakade's appointment as a Member of the Legislative Council in Mumbai. Varma praised Kakade's consistent help to others and attended the oath-taking ceremony. The cricketer noted that the World Cup remains distant and the team focuses on taking one series at a time. The Mahayuti alliance won 16 of 17 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, with BJP securing 11 seats.

Tilak Varma hails childhood friend Vikram Kakade's rise to Maharashtra Legislative Council

Mumbai, June 23

Indian cricketer Tilak Varma, attending the oath-taking ceremony of his childhood friend Vikram Kakade at the Vidhan Bhavan, expressed pride and happiness over the latter's appointment as a Member of the Legislative Council in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Tilak praised his friend for consistently helping people and said he felt proud to be present on the occasion. Speaking about cricket, he said the World Cup remains some distance away and that the team is currently focused on taking one series at a time while continuing to work hard and improve every day.

"We have been friends since childhood, so I am very happy about the announcement of his MLC role today. It feels great--I feel truly proud--which is why I came to meet him...I see him constantly helping those around him...Looking ahead, the World Cup is still a long way off. Right now, we are taking it one series at a time. Regardless, our hard work continues day in and day out," Tilak said.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance registered a commanding victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, winning 16 of the 17 seats for which results were declared on Monday. Polling for 17 seats was held on June 18.

Six Mahayuti candidates had already been elected unopposed before voting, giving the alliance an early advantage. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the biggest gainer, winning 11 seats, while Shiv Sena (Shinde) secured three seats and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) won two.

NCP's Kakade (Pune) was among the candidates elected unopposed. Apart from Kakade Ravindra Phatak (Thane) and Dushyant Chaturvedi (Yavatmal) from Shiv Sena, Aniket Tatkare (Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Arun Lakhani (Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli) and Prajakt Tanpure (Ahilyanagar) from BJP.

The BJP's victorious candidates included Suhas Shirshat (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna), Avinash Brahmankar (Bhandara-Gondia), Dhairyashil Kadam (Sangli-Satara), Rajendra Raut (Solapur), Basavaraj Patil (Dharashiv-Latur-Beed), Rajiv Potdar (Nagpur), Nandkishor Mahajan (Jalgaon), Pravin Pote (Amravati) and Amar Rajurkar (Nanded). Shiv Sena's Saiyed Khan won from the Parbhani-Hingoli constituency.

— ANI

Reader Comments

Priya S

Tilak Varma ka yeh gesture really heartwarming hai. Lekin MLC elections mein kitne candidates unopposed jeete, yeh thoda concerning bhi hai. Kya opposition itna weak ho gaya? Democracy mein healthy competition hona chahiye. Phir bhi, dono friends ko best of luck!

Rohit P

Ye dekh ke bohot proud feel hota hai ki Tilak apne roots se jude hain. Critics bolte hain cricketers sirf money-minded hote hain, lekin yeh unka simple gesture sab kuch bol deta hai. Vikram bhaiya ji ko congratulations! Aur haan, Tilak ka focus "one series at a time" wala approach sahi hai. World Cup ke liye abhi time hai.

James A

Great to see Tilak Varma supporting his childhood friend. But I have to say, the dominance of one alliance in Maharashtra Council elections—winning 16 out of 17 seats—raises questions about the state's political landscape. Hopefully, Vikram Kakade will use his position to genuinely help the people of Pune. 🇮🇳

Sneha F

Tilak Varma aur Vikram Kakade ki dosti ek perfect example hai ki success ke baad bhi apne childhood connections ko nahi bhoolna chahiye. Lekin yeh MLC election results—11 seats BJP ko, aur 6 unopposed winners—yeh sach mein dominance dikhata hai. I hope Vikram ji corruption-free rahenge aur public ke liye work karenge. 🙏

Varun X

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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