A change of name for votes

Earlier this month, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government decided to rename Ahmednagar district as Ahilya Nagar, after the 18th-century warrior queen Ahilya Devi Holkar. After coming to power, the Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government scrapped the decision stating that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government lacked a majority and claiming that the decision would face legal hurdles. Now, by renaming Ahmednagar, which the locals simply refer to as Nagar, the government is aiming to woo the Dhangars, the shepherd community which holds significant electoral influence in western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and parts of northern Maharashtra, by invoking regional pride. In the hope of weakening the NCP’s hold on power in the region further, the government also announced that the Baramati Medical College would be renamed as Punyashlok Ahilya Devi Holkar Government Medical College.