Upper cut: What’s behind Yogi govt’s decision to rename UP’s Jalalabad as Parshuram Puri

Efforts to rename Jalalabad had been underway for a long time, it is learnt. Move comes months before 2027 UP assembly elections.

File photo of UP CM Yogi Adityanath | ANI

Lucknow: At a time when the Samajwadi Party (SP) is holding Brahmin Sammelans (gatherings) across Uttar Pradesh and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is promising tickets to Brahmin candidates, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government has announced that Jalalabad tehsil in Shahjahanpur will be renamed as Bhagwan Parshuram Puri.

Approved by the state Cabinet on Monday, the move is being seen as part of the BJP’s broader outreach to woo the influential Brahmin community ahead of the upcoming elections.

The Print has learnt that the process to change the name had begun last year when Shahjahanpur District Magistrate Dharmendra Pratap Singh had sent a proposal to the state government seeking the renaming.

The Opposition has repeatedly accused the Yogi Adityanath government of neglecting the Brahmin community. The decision to name Jalalabad tehsil after Lord Parshuram, revered by many Brahmins, is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to counter that narrative.

Retired Lucknow University professor S.K. Dwivedi said: “The politics of renaming places has existed under previous governments as well. Naming a place after Lord Parshuram is, to some extent, an effort to appeal to the Brahmin community. The community is considered very important politically in the state. Changing a name alone may not be enough, but in an election year it certainly sends a political message.”

Brahmin politics in UP

Brahmins account for an estimated 10-12 per cent of the state’s population, making up more than a fifth of the electorate in several Assembly constituencies. Several Brahmin organisations in the state argue that if closely related upper-caste groups such as Tyagis and Bhumihars are included, the community’s share of the population is significantly higher.

Aseem Pandey, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Sangathan Mahasangh, told ThePrint that Brahmins make up more than 13 per cent of the state’s population and remain its single most influential caste group. “Brahmins decide who comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, and they can also bring governments down. That has been the state’s electoral history,” Pandey said.

Last month, the SP announced that it would organise Prabuddh Sammelans, largely aimed at Brahmins, across all 18 divisions of Uttar Pradesh. The party is also set to hold a major rally on 5 August to mark the birth anniversary of co-founder Janeshwar Mishra.

The BSP too has stepped up its outreach to the community, with party chief Mayawati announcing that Brahmins would receive a significant share of tickets for the 2027 Assembly elections.

The Congress is also making efforts to court Brahmin voters. Recently, Youth Congress workers in Varanasi triggered a political controversy after portraying Rahul Gandhi as Lord Parshuram on posters during celebrations marking his 56th birthday. The posters, which depicted the Congress leader holding an axe and a copy of the Constitution, were displayed during a puja on the banks of the Ganga.

The Yogi government has faced criticism from the Opposition over its relationship with the Brahmin community since 2020, particularly after the police encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey. Several subsequent police encounters involving Brahmin accused also drew criticism, with Opposition parties alleging that the Yogi Adityanath government was disproportionately targeting members of the community. The state government has rejected such allegations, and is now trying to woo Brahmins with steps like the latest renaming.

Long march

ThePrint has learnt that efforts to rename Jalalabad had been underway for a long time. Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh government subsequently sought a no-objection certificate from the Union Home Ministry, which granted its approval. The proposal was then forwarded to the Urban Development Department before being placed before the Cabinet for final approval.

Historically, Jalalabad is believed to have been named after Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, with ‘Jalalabad’ meaning a town established or developed under his name. According to local historical accounts, the settlement was earlier known as Dharmapuri before being renamed during the Mughal period.

The state government has also cited religious and cultural significance behind the move. Several Hindu traditions describe the town as the birthplace of Lord Parshuram; in 2022 the UP government officially declared the site as Parshuram Janmabhoomi. Local belief holds that the associated temple and pilgrimage site date back thousands of years.

Welcoming the decision, Union Minister Jitin Prasada called it a historic day. “I thank the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This was a long pending demand of millions of people, which has now been fulfilled. This reflects the strength of the double-engine government. We will now focus on the area’s development, and I believe this decision will prove to be a milestone,” he said.

Prasada has been actively advocating for the renaming for several years. He met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier this year requesting to make the name change procedure in Jalalabad smoother. Prasada, who represents Pilibhit in Parliament, is a resident of Shahjahanpur district, and the move helps project him as the face of Brahmin leadership.

(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)