Lucknow, October 14: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday made storng pitch for changing name of Allahabad to Prayagraj. Speaking to reporters, Adityanath said if a broad consensus is achieved, Allahabad will be renamed as Prayagraj. He said Allahabad is the meeting point of sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna.

“It might be the wish of many people that Allahabad can be renamed as Prayagraj. I think that it will give a very good message. If everyone agrees, we should know this city as Prayag Raj and it can be a good start," the chief minsiter was quoted as saying. "Two holy rivers, Ganga and Yamuna, meet in Allahabad and hence there’s raj of all prayag," he added.

Adityanath also said the state Governor Ram Naik is also in favour of changing the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj. Earlier, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said the government would rechristen Allahabad as Prayagraj and a decision in this regard could be taken before next year's Kumbh Mela in the holy city.

Prayag is a famous holy place in Allahabad, where three main rivers flowing across the state namely Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati meet. Further, the place is also known for hosting Kumbh Mela once in every 12 years.

According to some media reports, the banners for the upcoming Kumbh Mela in 2019 mention the name of the city as Prayagraj instead of Allahabad. Kumbh Mela will begin in Allahabad on January 15, 2019.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 14, 2018 12:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).