06 February,2026 04:40 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
BJP leader warns of protest if Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw does not addresses severe overcrowding. File pic
Maharashtra BJP leader Ram Patkar has urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resolve overcrowding and other issues concerning commuters at Badlapur station, warning of an agitation if they are not addressed.
Ram Patkar, a former Kulgaon-Badlapur civic president, on Friday said that he had written to the railway minister seeking a personal meeting, reported PTI.
The BJP leader said that lakhs of suburban commuters in the Badlapur and Ambernath areas face life-threatening conditions due to excessive crowding, narrow platforms, inadequate passenger facilities and insufficient pedestrian access routes, and thus it needs to be addressed.
The BJP leader also claimed that he has been writing to the railway ministry raising the issues for several months, but there has been no visible action on the ground.
Patkar, while writing the letter, stated, "There is a strong public sentiment that human lives are being placed at grave risk due to administrative apathy," as per PTI.
Furthermore, the BJP leader has also warned of a hunger strike if his demands are not looked into.
Shiv Sena's Sharmila Pimpalolkar was on Tuesday elected the mayor of Thane, while BJP's Krishna Patil was elected as the deputy mayor in an unopposed election held on Monday.
The election was held under the chairmanship of the Presiding Officer and District Collector Dr Shrikrishnanath Panchal.
The election was conducted during a special general body meeting convened at 11.30 am at the Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Auditorium of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).
Municipal Secretary Manish Joshi and senior civic officials were also present at the meeting.
The official announcement of the results was made by Dr Panchal following the completion of the election process.
After the declaration, Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao congratulated the newly elected mayor and the deputy mayor. He welcomed them by presenting tulsi saplings.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has stated that the party will have no alliance with the BJP in the mayor election of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a senior party leader said on Monday.
The announcement came during a meeting with MNS functionaries to review the results of the civic polls held on January 15, mainly in Mumbai and its satellite cities.
During the meeting, MNS workers raised concerns about lack of cooperation from their ally, Shiv Sena (UBT), in some civic wards. They also expressed displeasure over being allotted "unwinnable" wards in Mumbai as part of the alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
(With inputs from PTI)
