Bengal Name Debate: West Bengal is most likely to be renamed “Paschim Banga”, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said on Wednesday, claiming that the proposed name would preserve the state’s historical identity.
Taking a dig at the former Trinamool Congress government's attempt to change West Bengal's name to 'Bengal', West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday hinted that the state's name will likely be changed to "Paschim Banga", asserting that the move would preserve the state's historical identity.
Bhattacharya firmly said, "How many times must I say, brother? The name will be 'Paschim Banga'."
He had previously advocated for the state's name to be changed to "West Bengal" in the Rajya Sabha. According to Shamik, the name is linked to West Bengal's history and the sacrifices made during Partition. Therefore, simply naming it "Bengal" would ignore that historical context.
On Monday, Bhattacharya said that names such as “Paschim Bangla”, “Bangla” and “Banga” would no longer be used once the proposed change was implemented. “Paschim Banga is coming,” he had said, referring to the proposed name.
Bhattacharya said the proposed change would be backed by legislation and that a bill could be introduced in the first session of the Assembly after the BJP forms the government in the state. He said the objective was to ensure that the state’s official identity remained connected to its history.
"Very soon, in the very first session itself, our government is introducing a bill so that the name of this state remains intrinsically linked with the history of this state, and that remains its identity. That is why the state is going to be named 'Paschim Banga'."
This is not the first time there has been an issue over changing West Bengal's name. The issue has been debated for years. The Trinamool Congress government had previously proposed changing the state’s name to “Bangla”, arguing that the existing name placed it lower in alphabetical listings and did not reflect the Bengali name used locally. The proposal, however, did not receive the Centre’s approval.
Name Debate Since Years
The issue of changing the state's name has been discussed for a long time. In 1999, during the Left Front government, a proposal was introduced in the Assembly to rename the state "West Bengal" in all languages. However, a consensus was later reached on the name "Bengal," and the matter did not proceed further. The issue was revisited in 2016, at the beginning of the second term of the previous Mamata Banerjee government.
On August 2, 2016, the state cabinet passed a resolution recommending the name "Bengal" in Bengali, "Bengal" in English, and "Bengal" in Hindi. The Assembly subsequently passed the resolution and sent it to the central government. The Union Home Ministry rejected the proposal, insisting on a single name.
Then, on July 26, 2018, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to change the state's name to "Bengal." This was also sent for central approval but was not approved.
What Is The Process For Changing State Name?
The process for changing a state's name is followed under Article 3 of the Constitution. First, a resolution is passed by the state Assembly. The central government then considers the proposal and seeks the opinions of several departments. After approval, a bill is introduced in Parliament. After passage by both Houses, the bill is sent for the President's approval.
The name change process is completed only after the President's approval. Now, following the change of power in Bengal, the BJP government is taking steps to officially retain the name "West Bengal" in all languages.
The proposed move would place West Bengal alongside a number of Indian states that have undergone official name changes to reflect linguistic, cultural or historical identities.
The most recent example is Kerala, whose name is being changed to “Keralam” following a state Assembly resolution and subsequent approval by the Union government and Parliament in 2026. Earlier, Orissa was officially renamed Odisha in 2011, while Uttaranchal became Uttarakhand in 2007.