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The BMC name game: From Shivaji Maharaj to Bappi Lahiri, roads and chowks in Mumbai up for renaming

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s new general body puts identity politics front and centre; Here's the list of 27 renaming proposals

In Mumbai, road and bridge names are determined based on proposals submitted by the elected corporator of the concerned ward.

Written by: Nayonika Bose

4 min readFeb 25, 2026 06:49 PM IST First published on: Feb 25, 2026 at 02:57 PM IST

From Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to Bappi Lahiri, proposals to name and rename Mumbai’s roads and chowks after political leaders, public figures and religious personalities have emerged as a key focus for the newly constituted general body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Of the 27 proposals listed for deliberation in February, 19 relate to the naming or renaming of roads and public spaces, according to records accessed by The Indian Express. Several of these proposals date back to 2020 and feature recurring suggestions such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Balasaheb Thackeray.

The civic house is also set to revisit the contentious decision to name Kala Ghoda chowk after former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. A proposal by Congress corporator Javed Juneja seeks reconsideration of the name.

In Mumbai, road and bridge names are determined based on proposals submitted by the elected corporator of the concerned ward. These are routed through the Municipal Secretary’s office and cleared by relevant civic committees. Ward committees approve the naming and renaming of roads and chowks, while the special works committee clears names of bridges. Markets and gardens fall under the jurisdiction of the markets and garden committee.

However, with the previous general body dissolved in 2022, several proposals submitted by corporators were left pending and forwarded directly to the Municipal Commissioner’s office. While many administrative proposals were cleared, naming proposals were kept on hold.

“While some proposals for renaming were cleared, it was decided that the elected representatives should be allowed to take a decision on the names of roads. Therefore, these proposals which were received from former corporators and were pending from the previous term or in the interim have emerged as the first subjects on the agenda for the month,” a civic source privy to the developments told The Indian Express.

Among the first proposals on the agenda is naming a newly constructed swimming pool along the Worli reservoir after Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray. Another proposal, based on a July 29 2021 letter, seeks to name the Ghatkopar Mulund Link Road in the M East ward as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Uddaanpul.

Other prominent proposals include naming a newly constructed swimming pool near Nehru Playground in Malad after Atal Bihari Vajpayee and renaming a busy circle at the intersection of Adi Shankaracharya Marg and Saki Vihar Road in the S ward after Babasaheb Ambedkar.

While political leaders feature prominently, cultural figures have also found a place. One proposal seeks to rename the road between Nirmal Bungalow and Mangifera Hotel in Andheri West as Sangeetkar Bappi Lahiri Road.

Additional names proposed include Acharya Sri Mahashraman Road, Acharya Shree Mahapragya Chowk, Ramchandra Kashiram Mhamunkar Chowk, Vasantrao Vishnu Chowkedar Road, Sheth K D Podar Chowk and Gautam Ganpat Sable Chowk.

Apart from renaming proposals, the February agenda includes the constitution of special committees, appointment of nominated members, development of cycle tracks, construction of footpaths along water channels and provision of stalls for licensed tanners to support traditional trades.

While the first session of the general body was convened on Monday, the proposals are expected to be taken up across four additional sessions scheduled this month.