Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday welcomed the Bombay High Court ruling on renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively, and said those opposed to the move were linked to the opposition MVA.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad approved in June 2022 by the then-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was “illegal” as the ruling coalition had lost its majority following a revolt in the Shiv Sena led by him.