After Allahabad, Aligarh stares at name change

After Allahabad's name changed to Prayagraj, another prominent city in Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for a name change. The Aligarh Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to change the city's name to Harigarh. 

The proposal, presented by Mayor Prashant Singhal in a meeting yesterday, saw unanimous support from all the councillors. The proposal has been officially forwarded to the Uttar Pradesh government, and there is optimism from Aligarh's Mayor that it will receive prompt approval by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

"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 being raised for a long time," Aligarh mayor Prashant Singhal said. 

Know the process to rename any city

A state government possesses the authority to change the name of any city or locality within its jurisdiction. Once a proposed name change resolution is unanimously endorsed by the municipal body of the respective city, it is then communicated to the state government.

In a subsequent step, the state government forwards the resolution to the Ministry of Home Affairs for the necessary approvals. If the Ministry, in conjunction with other pertinent agencies, endorses the resolution, the state government can officially effect the name change.

Since he came to power, CM Adityanath Yogi indicated that his government will keep up with its spree of renaming places across the state. Following the name changes of Faizabad district and Allahabad, members of the ruling BJP have consistently raised demands for renaming other cities.

An Agra lawmaker had put forth a proposal to change the name of Agra to either Agravan or Agarwal, and another lawmaker suggested renaming Muzaffarnagar to Laxmi Nagar.

During the ongoing tenure of CM Adityanath, the names of several railway stations were also changed. The name of Mughalsarai Railway Station was changed to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction, and Jhansi railway station was renamed Veerangana Lakshmibai Railway Station.