India, Nov. 5 -- Three months after declaring its intention to rename Islampur city in Sangli district to Ishwarpur, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued a notification to this effect. The decision was reportedly taken following a demand by Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide.

State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, while announcing the renaming, claimed it was taken keeping in view the "demands of the people". "Our MLA Gopichand Padalkar had raised the demand several times, after which chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sent a proposal to the union home ministry, which has also been approved," he said.

The issue also has a political angle, as senior opposition leader Jayant Patil of the NCP (SP), who has been representing t...