By Faisal Malik
MUMBAI: Three months after declaring its intention to rename Islampur city in Sangli district to Ishwarpur, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued a notification to this effect. The decision was reportedly taken following a demand by Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide.
State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, while announcing the renaming, claimed it was taken keeping in view the “demands of the people”. “Our MLA Gopichand Padalkar had raised the demand several times, after which chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sent a proposal to the union home ministry, which has also been approved,” he said.
The issue also has a political angle, as senior opposition leader Jayant Patil of the NCP (SP), who has been representing the Islampur assembly constituency for the last four decades, had staunchly opposed the move. Patil maintained that the demand came from a small group and did not reflect the sentiment of the majority of locals.
The notification on the renaming issued by the state development department also mentions the renaming of the municipal council of Islampur. “The Government of Maharashtra is hereby pleased to direct that the name of the Islampur Nagar Parishad shall be changed to Urun-Ishwarpur Nagar Parishad,” it states.
The BJP-led Mahayuti government has been on a renaming spree of districts and cities originally named by Mughal rulers, an idea that hardcore Hindutva ideology has endorsed over the last few decades. It began with Aurangabad and Osmanabad being officially renamed in September 2023 to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv respectively, a decision that was announced by holding a special cabinet meeting in Aurangabad. In the wake of this, in October 2024, Ahmednagar was rechristened Ahilyanagar after Ahilyadevi Holkar of the royal Holkar dynasty.
The renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad has been a controversial and long-pending demand raised by right-wing groups and the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was the son of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji and was killed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, whose name Aurangabad bears.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.
