A delegation led by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposing to rename Ramanagara district as ‘Bengaluru South’.

The district was created in 2007 during the JD(S)-BJP coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy, who had previously threatened to go on a fast unto death if the government proceeds with the renaming proposal.

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Ramanagara district is the political stronghold of Kumaraswamy, who has represented the Ramanagara and Channapatna assembly segments and served as an MP for the region. The proposal has gained importance ahead of the Channapatna assembly bypolls, which have not been scheduled yet. These bypolls have been necessitated following Kumaraswamy’s election to the Lok Sabha from Mandya.

The delegation, including District In-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy, former Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh, and several Congress legislators and former legislators from the district, has also proposed that Ramanagara town, located about 50 kilometers from Bangalore, remain the headquarters of the renamed district.

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“There is a feeling among people of Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks that Bengaluru’s international reputation, sovereignty and prestige should be available to their taluks too and it also our thinking,” Shivakumar and other members of the delegation, who are signatories to the memorandum, said, adding that “So the current Ramanagara district consisting of these taluks should be renamed, and Ramanagara taluk should be declared its headquarters.”

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who hails from the district, has revived the proposal to rename Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South, aiming to leverage the “Brand Bengaluru” impact on nearby towns.

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Shivakumar said the proposal will be placed before the Cabinet for discussion and decision, citing that the area is administratively and geographically connected to Bengaluru city and its surrounding areas.

While addressing reporters after meeting the chief minister, Shivakumar said the proposal might be placed before the Cabinet to “discuss and decide.” “We are all from Bengaluru district — Bengaluru city, Doddaballapura, Devanahalli, Hoskote, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kanakapura, Magadi — technically and keeping administration in mind, earlier changes and reconstituting were made as Bengaluru Rural district and Bengaluru Urban district, and later a part of it was made Ramanagara district,” he said.

Ramanagara district will remain as it is with Ramanagara as its headquarters, but the district will be renamed Bengaluru South, said Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief. “Whole world is looking at Bengaluru,” he said.

“We wanted to retain our district’s original name, so leaders from the district held discussions and gave a representation to the Chief Minister under my leadership to rename it as Bengaluru South district. It will help Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kanakapura, Magadi in terms of development, industries, property value.”

Responding to a question about reports regarding the possibility of a second airport for the city coming up either at Ramanagara or Tumakuru, he said: “for that, a technical report has to come. We will have to make it ready by 2032. Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil is looking into the proposals, surveys are on../..” /Noting that earlier Doddaballapura, Nelamangala, Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Anekal, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru East, Hoskote, Ramanagara, Magadi, Kanakapura and Channapatna taluks were part of Bengaluru district, the memorandum said, in 1986 a new Bengaluru Rural district was announced consisting of Doddaballapura, Nelamangala Devanahalli, Hoskote, Channapatana, Ramanagara, Magadi and Kanakapura.