Pune Railway Station Name Controversy: ‘Rename Budhwar Peth As Mastani Peth,’ Banners Come Up In City
Pune Railway Station Name Controversy: ‘Rename Budhwar Peth As Mastani Peth,’ Banners Come Up In City
Pune, June 25, 2025 – The ongoing controversy surrounding the renaming of Pune Railway Station has escalated into a full-blown political tussle in the city. After BJP MP Medha Kulkarni demanded that the station be renamed after Peshwa Bajirao I, several groups jumped into the fray with alternative suggestions. Historian Shrimant Kokate called for naming it after Rajmata Jijau, crediting her with rebuilding the city after its devastation by Adilshah.
Amid this debate, political friction intensified with posters appearing across Pune, especially from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction. One sarcastic banner read, “If the lady from Kothrud is so passionate about renaming, then rename Budhwar Peth as ‘Mastani Peth’!” These banners were reportedly taken down later, but not before heating up the political climate.
Adding another dimension to the discussion, a plaque honouring Lt. Col. Ardeshir Tarapore, a martyr of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, drew attention at Platform 1 of Pune station, shifting focus briefly to heroes who served the nation.
Meanwhile, Republican Party of India’s national president Sachin Kharrat opposed the Bajirao renaming demand and advocated naming the station after Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, citing his revolutionary contributions to social reform and education.
With public sentiments divided and political voices growing louder, the debate over Pune Railway Station’s name continues to stir controversy.
