Lucknow, Oct 4 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government’s move to rename Bhadohi district as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi, even as the Samajwadi Party maintained a cautious stand on the issue, while the Congress advised the saffron party to follow the teachings of the saints on whom cities are being renamed.
Announcing the new name at a programme after inaugurating and laying the foundation for 112 projects worth over Rs 1,340 crore in Bhadohi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Now our Bhadohi district will be called Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi.
“On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the government had said that Bhadohi district, known for its carpet industry, would be known by the name of Satguru Ravidas ji Maharaj, a medieval saint who united society through his spiritual devotion.”
Bhadohi was a part of Varanasi district before it was carved out as the 65th district of Uttar Pradesh on June 30, 1994.
In December 1997, it was renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar by the Mayawati-led government. The BJP government under Ram Prakash Gupta renamed it as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi in November 1999.
In December 2014, the Akhilesh Yadav-led government officially changed its name back to Bhadohi.
Hailing the announcement, state BJP spokesperson Navin Srivastava told PTI, “This is a correct move, as the name Bhadohi does not have any historical importance. On the other hand, Sant Ravidas commands the faith of lakhs of followers.
“Akhilesh Yadav had restored the name Bhadohi because of Muslim appeasement, as there was pressure from the local Muslims. Cities and places which were named after invaders must be renamed.”
However, the chief spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, Rajendra Chaudhary, was cautious in his reply.
“This is an administrative matter. What can I say? The Samajwadi Party respects Sant Ravidas,” he said.
Asked to comment on the renaming, state Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI, “The chief minister wants to do politics by renaming (places). Naming cities after saints is very good, but their teachings should also be honoured.
“It is only when elections are knocking on the doors that you are reminded of saints revered by the Dalits and known for social awakening. In the 10 years of BJP rule, atrocities on Dalits have been the maximum.”
Assembly elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2027.
In November 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj and Faizabad as Ayodhya.
The government also renamed the Mughalsarai railway station as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in August 2018.
In August this year, Aligarh Mayor Prashant Singhal said that a proposal to rename the city to Harigarh had been sent to the state government for implementation.
Proposals were also made to rename Basti after Maharishi Vashishth.
In August 2025, Ketki Singh, the BJP MLA from Bansdih in Ballia, urged the Centre and the state government to rename Ghazipur after Maharishi Gautam, the father of Maharishi Parashuram.
In October 2025, Adityanath had said that the government would move a proposal to rename the Mustafabad village in Lakhimpur Kheri as ‘Kabirdham’ to restore the area’s historical and cultural identity linked to Sant Kabir.
In April this year, Adityanath announced that Miyanpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri would be renamed Ravindra Nagar in honour of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
In June, the chief minister announced renaming Fazil Nagar town in Kushinagar as Pawagarh in honour of Lord Mahavir. PTI NAV ARI
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