IN A major announcement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday that the name of Ahmednagar district shall be changed to ‘Ahilyadevi Holkar Nagar’ in memory of the great queen of Malwa state who ruled from 1767-1795. The announcement came on her 298 birth anniversary celebrations at Chaundi, the village where Ahilyadevi was born on May 31, 1725, which was attended by Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

“We have taken a decision to change the name of Ahmednagar after Ahilyadevi Holkar... It’s the desire of all the people here,” Shinde said, as the large crowd roared its approval.

Shinde said he was fortunate to earlier change the name of Aurangabad to ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ and Osmanabad as ‘Dharashiv’, and now Ahmednagar will become ‘Ahilyadevi Holkar Nagar’ on the birth anniversary of the great queen. Shinde said that Ahilyadevi’s name is as tall as the Himalayas, and she did a lot for the farmers and workers of her kingdom, adding that this would be a fitting honour on her birth anniversary celebrations.