The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday decided to rename the Ramanagara district as 'Bengaluru South', Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
The proposal to rename the district comprising of Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks gained traction only recently following a delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met with CM Siddaramaiah and submitted a memorandum for the pitch.
"We have decided to rename Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South....It is being done keeping in mind 'Brand Bengaluru' and based on the demand of the people there. The Revenue Department will start the process," Patil told reporters.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Siddaramaiah told reporters that only the district's name will change, clarifying that all the remaining names of the taluks will remain the same.
Situated about 50 kms from Bengaluru, Ramanagara will remain the headquarters of the renamed district, news agency PTI reported.
The CM said that people and some prominent personalities of the Ramanagara taluk want to come under "Brand Bengaluru", adding that it is the people's opinion.
Ramanagara is also the home district of the state Congress chief and deputy CM Shivakumar. He represents the Kanakapura Assembly segment in the district and had first raised the renaming pitch in October, 2023.
When Ramanagara district was carved out back in August 2007, Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy recently hit out at the renaming proposal, saying that if implemented, he would reverse the plan in case he becomes the state CM again.
He also alleged that the motive behind the proposal was to exploit the real estate opportunities in the region. The former CM had threatened to go on a fast-unto-death if the Karnataka government decided to go-ahead with renaming the district.
Notably, Ramanagara is Kumaraswamy's political turf as he has previously represented Ramanagara and Channapatna Assembly segments and also served as a MP from the region.
Ramanagara's renaming as Bengaluru South also gained importance in view of the upcoming Channapatna Assembly bypolls, the dates for which are yet to be announced.
Patil said that the decision to rename the district was not done with election in mind, adding that it was based on demand from the people and public representatives there.
On whether real estate had been kept in mind while taking the renaming decision, the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, "If asset's value goes up it is beneficial for the dwellers there...this proves our decision is right and is favourable to people in Ramanagara district; we will be satisfying public emotion also."
