Bagepalli taluk in Chikkaballapura district will now be called Bhagya Nagar.
In a significant reshuffle of names, the Karnataka state Cabinet on Wednesday approved a series of renaming decisions aimed at strengthening "Brand Bengaluru" and boosting investment in the region.
As part of the move, Bengaluru Rural district has been renamed Bengaluru Urban, a decision that follows closely on the heels of Ramanagara district- the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar being renamed as Bengaluru South, despite strong opposition from the BJP-JD(S) alliance.
Officials argue that the renaming initiative will enhance the global appeal of Bengaluru and bring in greater investment. The newly named Bengaluru Urban district comprises Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Hosakote, and Nelamangala taluks—three of which are represented by Congress legislators.
In another move, Bagepalli taluk in Chikkaballapura district will now be called Bhagya Nagar. The change has sparked debate, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah justified the renaming by stating that the suffix "palli" is a Telugu word. Bagepalli shares a border with Andhra Pradesh and has a sizeable Telugu-speaking population.
However, when a reporter pointed out that "palli" is actually a Halegannada (Old Kannada) term, Siddaramaiah responded: "I don't know Telugu, do you know? In our region, 'palli' refers to 'halli' (village) or even 'lizard'. The MLA himself recommended the change."
Congress MLA S.N. Subba Reddy, who represents Bagepalli, supported the renaming.
Additionally, Bengaluru City University, one of the three institutions created from the trifurcation of the original Bangalore University, will be renamed in honor of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. It will now be known as Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University.
