On Friday, July 31, 2026, Mayawati, the president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), expressed her approval of the Uttar Pradesh government’s recent decision to revert the name of Bhadohi district back to Sant Ravidas Nagar. She urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to consider reinstating the original names of other districts established during the BSP’s tenure.
“As highlighted in various media reports, the current government of Uttar Pradesh has restored the Sant Ravidas Nagar district, which was originally created by the BSP government by designating Bhadohi as its headquarters. This name change was reversed by the Samajwadi Party (SP) government, which acted out of a narrow casteist mindset. For this, we are grateful to the State government,” Mayawati stated on X.
In her address, she emphasized the significance of the historical context, noting, “During the four BSP administrations in U.P., we worked towards enhancing the administrative framework and public welfare. A number of new districts, tehsils, development blocks, police zones, and ranges were established, many of which bore the names of important figures from the Dalit and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. Notable examples include Sant Ravidas Nagar, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar, and Bhim Nagar. These districts had their names altered by the SP government solely due to its casteist ideologies and political agendas, which the public will not forget.”
This development comes as part of a larger discourse on the importance of historical names and their impact on identity within the state’s sociopolitical landscape.
