Ahmednagar will now be Ahilyanagar: Maharashtra minister's big announcement ahead of polls

State Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patilhe said that the decision to rename Ahmednagar was taken by the state cabinet in March this year.

The Union Home Ministry has given approval for changing the name of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra to Ahilyanagar, state revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said on Friday.

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Former Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Speaking to reporters, he said the decision to rename Ahmednagar was taken by the state cabinet in March this year and was sought from the Centre.

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Ahilyabai Holkar, the 18th-century ruler of Indore (in Madhya Pradesh), hailed from the district, he said.

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Earlier, the Eknath Shinde government had changed the names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively.