Maharashtra: Navi Mumbai Airport to be renamed DB Patil International Airport

The renaming of Navi Mumbai Airport to DB Patil International Airport was recently approved by the state cabinet of Maharashtra. According to the cabinet, DB Patil, a former Peasants and Workers Party leader, will be honoured with a name change for Navi Mumbai International Airport. In addition, the government declared that Osmanabad would become Dharashiv and Aurangabad would become Sambhaji Nagar.

The Shiv Sena, which leads the ruling MVA coalition and is facing a rebellion by the majority of its MLAs, made its decision on the contentious matter of renaming the historically significant city of Aurangabad in central Maharashtra. The future Navi Mumbai international airport will be named after the late farmer leader D B Patil, which was also accepted at the cabinet meeting presided over by the troubled Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Interestingly, state planning agency CIDCO had earlier proposed to name the Navi Mumbai airport after the late Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena. After the Shiv Sena broke off its alliance with the BJP and joined hands with the Congress and NCP to form MVA government, the BJP had often reminded the Sena of its own old demand to rename Aurangabad, which derived its name from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. 

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The Congress, which is a junior partner in the MVA government, demanded in the cabinet meeting that Pune city be named Jijau Nagar, after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's mother, and Mumbai Trans Harbour link between Sewree and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai be named for former chief minister late A R Antulay. But these demands were apparently not considered. Congress had backed the demand to name Navi Mumbai Airport after D B Patil.