Aurangabad and Osmanabad have been renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv, respectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the proposal on Friday, saying the central government had “no objection” to the renaming of the two Maharashtra cities.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister welcomed the decision and said that the state government under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde “delivered”.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister welcomed the decision and said that the state government under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde “delivered”.
The late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray was the first to call for the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad. For decades, the founder of the Shiv Sena raised this demand. However, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decided to change these names in his final Cabinet meeting as chief minister before his government fell in 2022.
The decision was not welcomed by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, Congress and NCP.
The Maharashtra Cabinet passed the decision on the change of the names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad in 2022, but its approval was pending with the Centre.