West Bengal is likely to be renamed ‘Paschim Banga’, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said on Wednesday (October 7), arguing that the proposed name better reflects the state’s historical identity. The announcement comes after the BJP government, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, took power in the state earlier this year. Bhattacharya said a Bill to formally change the name would be introduced in the Assembly, with the proposal eventually requiring approval at the Union level. The BJP has rejected alternatives such as ‘Bangla’, ‘Banga’ and ‘Paschim Bangla’.
The proposal has already drawn criticism from Trinamool Congress leaders, including MLA Kunal Ghosh, who has questioned the need for the change. Any formal renaming will ultimately have to follow the constitutional process governing changes to the names of states.
History Behind Name
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bhattacharya said there should be no further uncertainty about the BJP’s position. “The name will be ‘Paschim Banga’,” he said, reiterating that the proposed name was intended to connect the state with its history and preserve its identity. He had earlier said that the BJP government would bring a Bill in the first session of the Assembly to formally effect the change. The BJP’s proposal would mean that ‘Paschim Banga’ would be used as the state’s official name rather than retaining separate forms such as ‘West Bengal’ in English.
The announcement was also linked to a proposal for a Paschim Banga Bhavan in Varanasi. Bhattacharya said the state’s Culture and Tourism Department, the Centre and descendants of the Cooch Behar royal family were involved in plans for the facility. According to him, the proposed complex would serve as a cultural centre and provide accommodation for tourists and pilgrims from Bengal. He cited the historical links between Bengal and Varanasi, including the Bengali community’s presence in the city and the Cooch Behar royal family’s association with the Benaras Kali Bari.
Debate Returns Again
The proposed renaming is not new. In 1999, the Left Front government led by Jyoti Basu adopted a resolution seeking to rename the state ‘Paschim Banga’. The issue resurfaced after the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, when the Mamata Banerjee government also backed the name ‘Paschim Banga’. In 2016, the state government proposed different versions of the name in different languages, including ‘Bangla’ in Bengali, ‘Bengal’ in English and ‘Bangal’ in Hindi. The Assembly subsequently backed ‘Bangla’, but the proposal did not receive approval from the Centre.
The constitutional process is also important. Under Article 3 of the Constitution, Parliament has the power to alter the name of an existing state. A Bill affecting a state’s name can be introduced in Parliament only on the President’s recommendation and after the proposal has been referred to the concerned state legislature for its views. The Union Home Ministry has previously clarified, in response to questions about renaming West Bengal as ‘Bangla’, that changing the name of a state requires a constitutional amendment after considering relevant factors.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
A state’s name can carry layers of history, language, memory and identity, so any decision to change it deserves more than political slogans or partisan debate.
If ‘Paschim Banga’ is to become the state’s official name, the process should be transparent, constitutionally sound and open to public discussion, while recognising that people may have different emotional and historical associations with ‘West Bengal’, ‘Bangla’ or ‘Banga’. Political parties and elected representatives have a responsibility to debate the proposal respectfully and explain its practical implications, including administrative costs and changes to official documents, rather than allowing the issue to become another source of social division.
Do you think renaming the state to ‘Paschim Banga’ would meaningfully strengthen its historical identity, or should political attention remain focused on more immediate concerns facing people in the state?
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