Aligarh Contemplating Name Change After Allahabad and Faizabad

The Aligarh Municipal Corporation has unanimously passed a proposal to change the city’s name to Harigarh. This proposal, presented by Mayor Prashant Singhal, has received the support of all councillors. If the Uttar Pradesh government approves this proposal, it would add to the list of name changes in the BJP-ruled state, such as the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj in 2019.

To change the name of a city or area within a state, a municipal body must first unanimously approve a proposed name change resolution. This resolution is then forwarded to the state government. The state government, in turn, sends the proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval. Once the ministry and relevant agencies give their approval, the state government can officially change the name.

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The proposal to rename Aligarh to Harigarh was initially approved by a zila panchayat meeting in 2021 and was sent to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Chief Minister Adityanath’s government has been actively involved in renaming places across the state, including Mughal Sarai, which was renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Nagar, and Faizabad district, which became Ayodhya district.

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Various BJP members have been pushing for more city name changes, with suggestions like renaming Agra to Agravan or Agarwal and Muzaffarnagar to Laxmi Nagar. Since coming to power in March 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government has also renamed various projects and schemes, demonstrating a proactive approach to renaming in the state.