Delhi’s iconic Race Course Road, where the Prime Minister’s residence is located, will now be known as Lok Kalyan Marg. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), presided by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A notification will be issued soon to complete the process of renaming the road.

The NDMC also decided to rename the Gurdwara Rakabganj round-about adjacent to the Parliament complex as Guru Gobind Singh Chowk following representations from various Sikh organisations.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is a member of the NDMC Council, had proposed renaming Race Course Road as Ekatma Marg, based on the philosophy of the party’s ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay, but it was not accepted.

Once the notification is issued, the Prime Minister’s famous residential address 7 Race Course Road will be known as 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar said it was a unanimous decision to change the name of the road as Lok Kalyan Marg.

The change of name of the Gurdwara Rakabganj round-about to Guru Gobind Singh Chowk is seen as an effort to woo the Sikh community by both the BJP and the AAP ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls early next year.

Last year, Aurangzeb Road, which is not far from Race Course Road, was renamed APJ Abdul Kalam Road.