On 5 October 2026, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya announced that the state government intended to introduce a Bill in the upcoming Assembly session to rename West Bengal as Paschim Banga. Bhattacharya said on 7 October that the proposed name connects with the state’s formation after Independence. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has supported the proposal, subject to the prescribed legal process.
Constitutional procedure for changing a state’s name
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to form new states and alter the areas, boundaries or names of existing states. A Bill for this purpose can be introduced in Parliament only on the President’s recommendation. Before the Bill is introduced, the President refers it to the legislature of the affected state for its views within a specified period. The state legislature’s views are not binding on Parliament. A law made under Articles 2 and 3 may include consequential amendments to the First and Fourth Schedules of the Constitution; it is not treated as a constitutional amendment under Article 368. Therefore, a state government’s proposal must proceed through Parliament’s legislative process to change a state’s official name.
Earlier proposals to rename West Bengal
The Left Front government raised the renaming issue in 1999, considering “West Banga” and “Paschim Banga” before settling on “Bangla”. In 2016, the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee proposed different names according to language: “Bangla” in Bengali, “Bengal” in English and “Bangal” in Hindi. The Union Government rejected that proposal. The current proposal would use Paschim Banga as the state’s name. The state government has described the proposal as a means of concluding the long-running debate over its official designation.
State names and constitutional examples
Indian state names have changed through parliamentary legislation. “Madras State” became “Tamil Nadu” in 1969, “Uttaranchal” became “Uttarakhand” in 2007, and “Orissa” became “Odisha” in 2011. These changes were enacted through laws passed by Parliament. The proposed Paschim Banga Bhavan in Varanasi is planned as a cultural centre and accommodation for tourists and pilgrims from West Bengal. The project is proposed as a joint venture involving the Centre and descendants of the Cooch Behar royal family.
Important Facts for Exams
- Article 3 of the Constitution covers the alteration of state boundaries and names.
- The President refers a state-reorganisation Bill to the affected state legislature for its views.
- Parliament is not constitutionally bound by the views of the state legislature on such a Bill.
- Article 4 provides for consequential changes to the First and Fourth Schedules through laws under Articles 2 and 3.
The proposed renaming requires parliamentary legislation under Article 3. Paschim Banga Bhavan is planned for Varanasi as a cultural centre and accommodation facility.
