Aurangabad and Osmanabad have been officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv, respectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday approved the proposal and said the central government had “no objection” to the change in names of the two cities in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the news on Twitter.
Aurangabad derives its name from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, while Osmanabad was named for a 20th century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the eldest son of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was the second ruler of the Maratha state founded by his father. Sambhaji Maharaj was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders in 1689.
Dharashiv, the name of a cave complex near Osmanabad, dates back to the 8th century as per some scholars.
The demand for changing the name of Aurangabad and Osmanabad was first made by the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. This demand was brought up by the Shiv Sena founder for several decades.
Eknath Shinde-led Maharastra government had passed a resolution to change the names of both cities and sent it to the Centre for its nod on October 20, 2022. The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, had also taken the same decision in its last cabinet meeting but Shinde said it had some technical errors which was why his cabinet had to pass it again.
Reacting to the announcement, Aurangabad AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel said, “Aurangabad is, was and will always be our city. Now wait for our show of strength for Aurangabad. A massive morcha for our beloved city! Get ready Aurangabadis to defeat these forces (BJP) playing politics in the name of our city. We condemn & we will fight.”