Chief Minister Shinde confirmed that Aurangabad city will be renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad city will be called Dharashiv. After a year the proposal to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad has been approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Ministry stated that it has no objection to renaming cities. The initial proposal was made in a cabinet meeting during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022 before Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the then-chief minister.
After claiming that the decision by the Uddhav government was illegal, On July 16, 2022, a Government Resolution was passed by the two-member cabinet, comprising Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, for changing the names, and a proposal was then forwarded to the Centre.
The Bombay High Court sought to know from the Maharashtra government if it had called for objections and suggestions before deciding to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in the state.