Overview

• At a June 23 meeting of Pune and Solapur railway divisions, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni renewed calls to rename Pune Railway Station after 18th-century Maratha leader Peshwa Bajirao I.
• NCP (SP) spokesperson Ankush Kakade argued against altering the station’s long-standing name and suggested honoring Mahatma Jyotiba Phule or Gopal Krishna Gokhale instead.
• Railway Ministry officials have not yet reached a decision, leaving the renaming proposal under active consideration.
• Supporters contend that naming the station after Bajirao I would reinforce Pune’s identity as a cradle of Maratha heritage.
• The demand follows Maharashtra’s recent renaming of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar and Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar to commemorate regional history.