Bhadohi renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi; BJP welcomes move, Congress asks govt to follow saint's teachings

The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to rename Bhadohi district as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi triggered a political exchange on Sunday, with the BJP welcoming the move and the Congress saying the government should follow the teachings of the saint whose name it has invoked.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the new name at a programme in Bhadohi after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for 112 projects worth more than Rs 1,340 crore.

"Now our Bhadohi district will be called Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi," Adityanath said.

He said the government had announced on Guru Purnima that the district, known for its carpet industry, would be associated with the name of medieval saint Sant Ravidas, who, he said, worked to unite society through spiritual devotion.

Bhadohi was originally part of Varanasi district before being carved out as Uttar Pradesh's 65th district on June 30, 1994.

The district was renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar in December 1997 by the Mayawati government. In November 1999, the BJP government led by Ram Prakash Gupta changed the name to Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi. The Akhilesh Yadav government restored the name Bhadohi in December 2014.

Welcoming the latest decision, BJP state spokesperson Navin Srivastava said the name Bhadohi had no historical significance, while Sant Ravidas was revered by lakhs of followers.

He also alleged that the earlier decision to restore the name Bhadohi was taken because of "Muslim appeasement", and argued that places named after invaders should be renamed.

The Samajwadi Party maintained a cautious position on the issue.

"This is an administrative matter. What can I say? The Samajwadi Party respects Sant Ravidas," party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

The Congress, meanwhile, criticised the government for what it described as political use of the renaming exercise.

State Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said naming places after saints was welcome but their teachings should also be honoured.

He alleged that the BJP remembered saints revered by Dalits and associated with social awakening only when elections were approaching, and claimed that atrocities against Dalits had increased during the BJP's tenure.

Assembly elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2027.

The latest renaming is part of a broader series of such changes in the state. In November 2018, the government renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj and Faizabad as Ayodhya. In August that year, Mughalsarai railway station was renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction.

Several other renaming proposals have also emerged in recent years. Aligarh Mayor Prashant Singhal said in August this year that a proposal had been sent to the state government to rename the city Harigarh, while proposals have also been made to rename Basti after Maharishi Vashishth.

In August 2025, BJP MLA Ketki Singh sought the renaming of Ghazipur after Maharishi Gautam. Adityanath had also said in October 2025 that the government would propose renaming Mustafabad village in Lakhimpur Kheri as Kabirdham.

In April this year, the chief minister announced that Miyanpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri would be renamed Ravindra Nagar in honour of Rabindranath Tagore. In June, he announced the renaming of Fazil Nagar in Kushinagar as Pawagarh in honour of Lord Mahavir.