Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government said on Thursday that it was considering renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati.

Speaking to reporters in state capital Gandhinagar, chief minister Vijay Rupani said the name change could be effected before the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Rupani’s statement comes days after the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh announced renaming of Allahabad and Faizabad as Prayagraj  and Ayodhya, respectively.

“People have been demanding for long that Ahmedabad be renamed as Karnavati. The government is considering this demand. Consultation process has been started (to find out) if legally we can do it. After consultations we will take a concrete step,” the chief minister said.

Asked if it could happen before Lok Sabha elections or after, he said, “Before the elections.”

Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said the name Ahmedabad is a “symbol of slavery” and needs to be changed.

“We have started the process of getting legal and other approvals like the nod of the Centre,” Mr Patel said. “The name (Ahmedabad) is a symbol of our slavery, while the name Karnavati represents our pride, our self-respect, our culture, our autonomy,” he said.

On Tuesday, the day Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced renaming of Faizabad as Ayodhya, Patel had said the BJP-ruled Gujarat too can change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati “if everything falls in place”. Mayor Bijal Patel said she will seek “guidance” from the government before bringing a resolution for renaming the city. “Certainly, the demand to change the name of the city is there,” Patel said.