Thane’s first mayor passes away

Satish Pradhan, the first mayor of Thane municipal corporation when it was converted from a council in October 1982 passed away at the age of 84 on Sunday

MUMBAI: Satish Pradhan, the first mayor of Thane municipal corporation when it was converted from a council in October 1982 passed away at the age of 84 on Sunday. Considered one of the closest aides of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the late Pradhan was a two-term Rajya Sabha MP between 1992-2004 and also headed the party in the upper house of Parliament.

Thane’s first mayor passes away

For several years, he was the quintessential “Shiv Sena neta” - a position considered as a senior leader in the party hierarchy. The senior leader played an important role in the party’s expansion, especially in Thane city, where he was a key figure. As president of Thane Municipal Council, he built a stadium in the city. In 1980, he established the Satish Pradhan Dnyanasadhana College and started the signature Mayor Marathon.

In 2004, Pradhan had sought ticket for the Thane Assembly seat but the party ignored his request, which irked him. Feeling ignored, he joined Sharad Pawar-led NCP in October 2005. He did not get much importance here, so crossed over to Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. In 2016, he returned to the Shiv Sena after differences with Raj Thackeray.

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde paid rich tributes to the late Shiv Sena leader by stating that he played a key role in the formation of Shiv Sena along with Thackeray. “Satish Pradhan made a great contribution to the development of Thane city and the organisational strength of Shiv Sena. He ensured quality education to the children of Thane by opening Dnyanasadhana College 44 years ago,” Shinde said in a post on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, too, remembered Pradhan for his contributions. “The news of the passing away of Satish Pradhan, the first of Mayor of Thane Municipal Corporation, is extremely sad. His work for the development of Thane city, as well as for giving the city a new identity in the cultural, social and educational fields, will always be remembered,” he said in a post on X.