The Maharashtra government formally issued a notification on Friday on the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar together unveiled the renaming plaques on September 16, 2023.
Aurangabad & Osmanabad Officially Renamed
मुख्यमंत्री @mieknathshinde , उपमुख्यमंत्री @Dev_Fadnavis , उपमुख्यमंत्री @AjitPawarSpeaks यांच्या हस्ते आज #छत्रपतीसंभाजीनगर आणि धाराशिवच्या नामकरण फलकांचे अनावरण करण्यात आले. छत्रपती संभाजीनगर महसुली विभागासह जिल्हा, उपविभाग, तालुका, गावाचे आणि #धाराशिव जिल्हा, उपविभाग,… pic.twitter.com/drZDNORhwo
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) September 16, 2023
This decision to rename was taken during a special cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Aurangabad and Osmanabad both fall within the Marathwada area.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, posted pictures from the unveiling ceremony on his X, formerly Twitter, account.
According to notifications released by Santosh Gawde, deputy secretary of the state revenue department, with the orders in place, the area, districts, tehsils, and villages of Aurangabad and Osmanabad have been renamed “Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar” and “Dharashiv,” respectively.
The government decided to modify the names at the sub-division, village, taluka, and district levels after taking into account the recommendations and objections requested a few months ago, according to the notification released by the state revenue department. (As per Hindustan Times)
Eknath Shinde-led Administration Reaffirmed The Decision
राज्य मंत्रिमंडळाची बैठक आणि #मराठवाडामुक्तीसंग्राम दिनानिमित्त आयोजित विविध कार्यक्रमांसाठी मुख्यमंत्री @mieknathshinde यांचे आज सकाळी #छत्रपतीसंभाजीनगर विमानतळावर आगमन झाले. यावेळी विमानतळावरील छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराजांच्या पुतळ्याला पुष्पहार अर्पण करुन मुख्यमंत्र्यांनी अभिवादन… pic.twitter.com/gFH08KxJU6
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) September 16, 2023
On June 29, 2022, during its final cabinet meeting, the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which had Uddhav Thackeray as its chief minister, made the initial decision. On July 16, 2022, the Eknath Shinde-led administration reaffirmed it. Following a petition at the high court challenging the same, the decision was suspended.
However, the applications were denied, and according to an official, the state administration has received approval from the Union Home Ministry to rename the two districts.
The MVA administration approved a plan to rename Aurangabad Airport as “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport” in March 2020 as a goodwill gesture.
Right-wing organizations and the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray launched the controversial and long-pending demand to rename both the districts and the cities.
The then-Mughal emperor Aurangzeb assassinated Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the son of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji. (As per Hindustan Times)
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Cover Image Courtesy: @eknathshinde/X (formerly Twitter)