34-yrs journey of district’s renaming as Sambhajinagar

Aurangabad, June 29:

The State Government in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday approved the old proposal to rename the district from Aurangabad to 'Sambhajinagar' in the wake of the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections and rebellion in Shiv Sena.

The first step of renaming Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar on the Government level has been completed in 34 years and now, the ball of renaming is in the court of the Central Government.

Shiv Sena-BJP jointly contested six Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections till 2015. After the alliance broke down in 2019, BJP repeatedly criticised Sena over the renaming of the district.

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Chronology of renaming

--In 1988, Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray gave a slogan to rename Aurangabad as 'Sambhajinagar' in a public meeting held at Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal

-- In June 1995, a resolution to rename Aurangabad as 'Sambhajinagar' was approved in the general body meeting of AMC and sent to the Government.

-- A notification about renaming was issued in 1995 as there was a Sena-BJP alliance Government in the State.

--In 1996, Mushtaq Ahmed filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the renaming of the district.

--The saffron parties lost the elections in 1999 and a coalition Government was formed.

The naming proposal did not move forward.

--In 2002, a petition filed by Mushtaq Ahmed was disposed of in the court.

--The issue of Sambhajinagar was raised again in the meeting in view of the AMC elections of 2005.

--In the year 2010, Sena-BJP won the AMC elections on the same issue of renaming.

--After the Sena-BJP alliance came to power in the State 2014, the renaming proposal was raised again, but no decision was taken.

--Elections were held in 2015 on the issues of Hindutva and Sambhajinagar, but the said proposal was put on the back-burner.

--The Government sought information from the divisional administration on March 4, 2020, about the court petition and No Objection Certificate (NoC) regarding the renaming of the district

--In 2021, displays (illuminated letters) were put up in the city with the slogan 'Super Sambhajinagar.' The Guardian Minister released a manifesto. He mentioned the city’s name as Sambhajinagar during his every visit, creating a controversy.

--In a public meeting of June 8, 2022, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed the idea of renaming only after providing facilities and developments

--After a rebellion in Sena on June 21, 2022, the process of the State Government turning into a minority began.

---The decision to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities as Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on June 29, 2022.