Overview
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Wednesday that Bhadohi will again be called Sant Ravidas Nagar and the state has begun formal steps to implement the change.
- The BJP presented the renaming as a key action in its Samarasta Sankalp Abhiyan, a campaign running from July 29 to February 20, 2027 that targets Dalit voters across Uttar Pradesh.
- BSP chief Mayawati welcomed the restoration, credited her party with originally creating the district in the saint’s name, and urged the government to revive other BSP-era names by October 9.
- Samajwadi Party leaders criticised the move as part of a pattern of partisan renaming and said voters intend to hold the Yogi Adityanath government to account at the 2027 polls.
- The change revives a longer history of name shifts in the district and could affect voters in a state where Dalits make up about one-fifth of the electorate, while officials proceed with administrative notifications and record updates.