Following the trend of name changes in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the city of Aligarh may be poised for a significant transformation. The Aligarh Municipal Corporation has passed a proposal to alter the city’s name to “Harigarh.” This proposal, put forward by Mayor Prashant Singhal during a recent meeting, garnered unanimous support from all council members.
Should the Uttar Pradesh government grant approval for this proposed name change, Aligarh would join a growing list of places that have undergone renaming in the BJP-ruled state. One of the most prominent examples of this trend is the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj in January 2019.
Speaking on the development, Aligarh Mayor Prashant Singhal stated, “In a meeting yesterday, a proposal was presented to change the name of Aligarh to Harigarh. All councillors unanimously supported this. Now, this proposal will be sent to the administration. I hope that the administration will take cognizance of this and fulfill our demand to change the name of Aligarh to Harigarh…This demand has been raised for a long time.”
In Uttar Pradesh, a state government holds the authority to change the name of any city or area within its jurisdiction. Following unanimous approval of a proposed name change resolution by a municipal body, the resolution is conveyed to the state government. Subsequently, the state government forwards the resolution to the Ministry of Home Affairs for its endorsement. Upon receiving approval from the ministry and other pertinent authorities, the state government can officially implement the name change.
The idea to rename Aligarh as Harigarh received initial approval during a zila panchayat meeting in 2021 when it was subsequently sent to the state’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath. This move aligns with the government’s approach to renaming places across the state, which commenced with the renaming of Mughal Sarai to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Nagar, followed by the transformation of Allahabad into Prayagraj and Faizabad district into Ayodhya district.
In recent years, members of the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh have put forward suggestions for renaming various cities. An Agra lawmaker proposed renaming Agra to Agravan or Agarwal, while another recommended that Muzaffarnagar be renamed as Laxmi Nagar.
Since assuming power in March 2017, the Yogi Adityanath-led government has initiated a series of renaming initiatives, encompassing projects and schemes. Notable examples include the renaming of the Purvanchal Expressway and the alteration of the government’s pension scheme, previously known as the “Samajwadi Ambulance Swasthya Sewa,” to “Mukhya Mantri Ambulance Sewa.”
As Aligarh contemplates a possible name change, it reflects the ongoing discourse and policy decisions related to nomenclature in Uttar Pradesh, setting the stage for potential transformations in the state’s geographical identity.
Sources By Agencies