The Zila Panchayat Parishad of Aligarh on Monday passed a resolution seeking to rename Aligarh as Harigarh. The meeting was attended by only Bharatiya Janta Party-supported members as the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal supported members boycotted it.
“It has been a long-standing demand of the residents of the district. We have sent the proposal to the State government for approval. We appeal to the Chief Minister to expedite the matter,” said Vijay Singh, Zila Panchayat chairman.
Aligarh is a division that comprises Hathras, Etah, and Kasganj districts.
With the Assembly elections less than a year away, the demand for rechristening the districts is on the rise again. Earlier in the day, the Zila Panchayat of Mainpuri also passed a similar proposal, in its first meeting, to rename it as Mayan Nagar after sage Mayan.
Earlier this month, the Zila Panchayat of Firozabad passed a resolution to go back to the city’s old name Chandra Nagar.
Mainpuri and Firozabad have been the strongholds of the Samajwadi Party.
