Mumbai, Mar 13 (IANS): The Maharashtra government on Wednesday rechristened Ahmednagar town as 'Ahilyanagar' in memory of the legendary Queen of Indore Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, besides renaming seven suburban railways stations of Mumbai, officials said here on Wednesday.

Similarly, Pune district's Velhe taluka has been renamed as 'Rajgad' after the historic fort which was the first capital of the Maratha Empire founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for 27 years.

The state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also has accorded approval to rename seven suburban stations on the Central Railway and Western Railway with a modern identity.

They are: Curry Road station shall be renamed as Lalbaug station, Sandhurst Road station as Dongri station, Marine Lines as Mumbadevi station, Charni Road as Girgaon station, Cotton Green as Kalachowki station, Dockyard as Mazagaon station, Kings Circle as Tirthankar Parshvanath station.

After the approval of the Maharashtra Legislature, the proposal for these name-changes shall be sent to the Union Home Ministry and Railways for clearance and implementation.

Last year, the state government had renamed Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv, and the latest name-changing spree comes ahead of the Model Code of Conduct for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.