Centre approves renaming Maharashtra’s Islampur to Ishwarpur

“The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the proposal of the Government of Maharashtra for changing the name of the village ‘Islampur’ to ‘Ishwarpur’. The Government of Maharashtra hereby directs that the name be changed accordingly,” the notification read.

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who announced the decision through an official statement and social media posts, described it as a “historic decision that honours the sentiments of the people.” He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for facilitating the approval.

“This has been a long-standing demand of the local residents, raised repeatedly by their representatives in the Assembly. The Chief Minister pursued the proposal with the Central Government, and the Ministry of Home Affairs has now approved it out of respect for public sentiment,” Bawankule said.

The demand to rename Islampur had reportedly been under consideration for several years, with local groups and civic representatives arguing that the town’s original name reflected the cultural heritage of the region. Several resolutions were passed by local bodies urging the state government to forward the proposal to the Centre for approval.

Following the Union Home Ministry’s clearance, the state government’s General Administration Department issued the Gazette notification under the authority of the Governor of Maharashtra, making the name change official.

Officials said all departments and agencies, including revenue, education, transport, and postal service, will now update their records, maps, and signage to reflect the new name Ishwarpur.

The demand to rename Islampur was raised by Shiv Pratishthan, a Hindutva organisation led by Sambhaji Bhide. The group had submitted a memorandum to the Sangli Collectorate seeking the change. Bhide’s supporters had warned that they would not withdraw the campaign until the demand was met. A Shiv Sena leader from the area said the proposal was first raised in 1986.

The approval adds to a list of towns and cities in India that have been renamed in recent years following similar proposals from states citing historical or cultural reasons.

The move to rechristen Islampur is the latest in a series of such moves undertaken by the state government. In 2022, the Maharashtra government approved the renaming of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv, both of which were later cleared by the Centre. In a major relief to the state government last year, the Bombay High Court dismissed a batch of petitions challenging notifications issued by the government officially renaming the two cities.

Another proposal to rename Ahmednagar to Ahilyanagar, in honour of Ahilyabai Holkar, remains pending with the Union government.