Aurangabad and Osmanabad have been renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv, respectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday approved the proposal and said the central government had "no objection" to the change in names of the two cities in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister welcomed the decision and said that the state government under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde "delivered". Taking to Twitter, he attached the letter of approval from the home ministry and wrote, "'Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' of Aurangabad, 'Dharashiv' of Osmanabad! The central government approves the decision of the state government! Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Union Minister Hon. Many thanks to Amitbhai Shah! The government under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ji has "delivered'...!"
The demand for changing the name of Aurangabad and Osmanabad was first made by the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. This demand was brought up by the Shiv Sena founder for several decades. However, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray took a decision to change these names in his last Cabinet meeting as the chief minister before his government collapsed in 2022.