A draft delimitation order issued by the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation has changed “Muslim-sounding names” of around a dozen wards, triggering criticism from the opposition, who have called it an “attempt at polarisation”.
As part of the delimitation exercise, the number of wards in Gorakhpur went up to 80. According to officials, complaints to the disposal can be made within a week, following which they will be considered and decided.
Shahab Ansari, the leader of the Samajwadi Party and a councillor for Ismailpur, alleged that the renaming was an effort to create polarisation.
In this regard, the party will meet on Sunday, according to Ansari, and a delegation will meet with the district magistrate on Monday to voice its concern.
Talat Aziz, a Congress leader, referred to the exercise as financial waste. The leader questioned, “I fail to see what the administration will accomplish with this exercise.
The following is a list of the wards with new names:
| Old Name | New Name |
| Humanyunpur (North) | Hanumant Nagar |
| Turkmanpur | Shaheed Ashfaqullah Nagar |
| Rasoolpur | Maharana Pratap Nagar |
| Daudpur | Raghupati Sahay Firaak Nagar |
| Jafra Bazaar | Atma Ram Nagar |
| Ismailpur | Sahabgang |
| Miya Bazaar | Maya Bazaar |
| Qazipur Khurd | Jagannathpur |
| Alinagar | Aarya Nagar |
| Chaksa Hussain | Sant Jhoole Lal Nagar |
| Mutipur | Ghanta Ghar |
| Bheriyagar | Vishnupuram |
| Mohaddipur | Sardar Bhagat Singh Nagar |
| Hansupur | Sri Ram Chowk |
| Rustampur | Chandra Shekhar Azad Chowk |
| Elahibahg | Bandhu Singh Nagar |
The new names, according to Mayor Sitaram Jaiswal, evoke a sense of pride.
