Bengaluru Rural district likely to be renamed Bengaluru North to gain brand edge | Bengaluru News
BENGALURU: After renaming Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South, the state govt is now considering a proposal to rename Bengaluru Rural district as ‘Bengaluru North’, a move that sources say is aimed at replicating the branding and development benefits seen in the Ramanagara renaming exercise.The proposal is expected to come up for discussion during the state cabinet meeting scheduled to be held at Nandi Hills, near Bengaluru, on Wednesday.Officials said the cabinet will also take up a proposal to rename Bagepalli town in Chikkaballapur district as Bhagyanagar.Bengaluru Rural district was originally part of the undivided Bengaluru district until 1986. It was formally carved out as a separate district on Aug 15, 1986. In 2007, the district was further bifurcated to form Ramanagara district, which has now been renamed as Bengaluru South.Currently, Bengaluru Rural comprises four taluks: Hoskote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, and Nelamangala. Rural tag discouraging investors, fear MLAs The district is home to Kempegowda International Airport and several special economic zones, including Devanahalli General Industrial Area, where Foxconn’s iPhone assembly plant is located.According to officials, the push to drop the ‘rural’ tag stems from a belief among local MLAs and ministers that the name is misleading and has been discouraging potential investors. “After the Ramanagara renaming, there has been a strong demand from MLAs of Bengaluru Rural and some Bengaluru ministers. They believe the ‘rural’ tag is deceiving investment in their district,” said a govt source familiar with the matter.There has also been a long-standing demand from certain quarters to rename Bengaluru Rural after 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, who was born in Devanahalli, located in the district. Last month, the govt formally approved the decision to rename Ramanagara as Bengaluru South. The move, originally proposed in 2023, had sparked mixed reactions. While some hoped it would bring more infrastructure and attention to the area, others feared it would erase Ramanagara’s distinct identity.Despite these concerns, the govt went ahead with the renaming without much public consultation on the implications for the region’s cultural and historical identity. The outcome of Wednesday’s cabinet discussion will determine whether Bengaluru Rural gets a new name – and, perhaps, a new direction.
