Confusion arises regarding Karnataka district names as renaming spree continues

The renaming spree continues in Karnataka. The state cabinet approved the renaming of Bengaluru Rural district as Bengaluru North. In May, it renamed Ramanagara district as ‘Bengaluru South’ amid opposition from the BJP and the JDS.

The renaming spree has stirred a political storm in Karnataka. The ruling party claims that the ‘Brand Bengaluru’ would leverage its advantages to the neighbouring districts and pave the way for their development. However, the opposition parties suspect that renaming every district after Bengaluru is only a ploy of the real estate mafia to inflate the land prices in the nearby districts that will also encourage massive land conversion.

Even as farmers in Devanahalli have been protesting against land acquisition for mega infrastructure projects and industrial corridors, the Congress government has decided to rename the districts undermining their history and identity, rue the opposition parties.

Interestingly, both the districts proposed for a name change are linked to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who represents Kanakapura Assembly constituency (in Ramanagara) and his younger brother DK Suresh, who lost the Bengaluru Rural Parliament seat in 2024. On several occasions, Shivakumar has asked his voters in Kanakapura not to sell off their lands at throw away prices.

“I cannot give you money but God has given me the strength to turn your land into gold. Once the Ramanagara district merges with Bengaluru, the land prices will shoot up,” Shivakumar had suggested during an event last January.

Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, who, previously represented Ramanagara Assembly constituency, slammed Shivakumar saying he was only a real estate agent and did not believe in preserving the legacy of the district that had given the state four chief ministers (Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Ramakrishna Hegde, HD Devegowda and HD Kumaraswamy).

Interestingly, Kumaraswamy had carved out the Ramanagara district from the Bengaluru Rural district in 2007, during his tenure as the chief minister.

While Ramanagara district comprises four taluks, including Channapatna, Magadi, Ramanagara and Kanakapura, Bengaluru Rural has retained Devanahalli, Nelamangala, Doddaballapura and Hosakote. Currently, the Bengaluru Rural Parliament seat (that includes Ramanagara district) is held by Kumaraswamy’s brother in-law and renowned cardiologist Dr C.N. Manjunath.

The two Vokkaliga leaders, Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, are at loggerheads to establish their dominance in the Vokkaliga heartland. Home Minister G Parameshwara was also hoping to rename Tumakuru district as Bengaluru North to ride high on Bengaluru’s global city tag.

This time, the Bengaluru Rural district assuming a new name adds to more confusion as both the districts which have been renamed share their name with other Assembly and Parliament constituencies, which do not overlap geographically with these districts.

For instance, the Bengaluru South Assembly constituency is in Bengaluru Urban district and falls under the Bengaluru Rural Parliament constituency. The Bengaluru South Parliamentary constituency (represented by Tejaswi Surya) is in Bengaluru Urban district. Similarly, the Bengaluru North Parliament Constituency is in Bengaluru Urban district.

The move has drawn flak from the netizens too, who slammed the government to stop renaming districts and instead focus on providing good roads in Bengaluru and save its brand image. Some suggested that all the districts should start with the prefix ‘Bengaluru’ and perhaps name Bidar district as “Bengaluru extreme North”.

The civic activists demanded to know when the Bengaluru city would get an elected body (corporators) stating that the Brand Bengaluru was taking a beating and citizens bearing the brunt of rampant corruption and a crumbling infrastructure in the absence of corporators.

India