The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal is considering renaming several Kolkata streets currently named after Communist leaders, according to officials involved in the review process. The initiative targets streets bearing the names of figures such as Lenin, Karl Marx, and Ho Chi Minh, which were designated during previous left-wing administrations.

A 10-member committee, led by Swami Pradiptananda, has been tasked with evaluating proposals related to the street names. "We have received a number of proposals for changing the names of the streets named after Lenin, Karl Marx and Ho Chi Minh," Pradiptananda said, indicating that deliberations are ongoing but no final decisions have been made.

The BJP secured power in West Bengal for the first time in May 2026, ending nearly 15 years of governance by the Trinamool Congress, which itself had succeeded the Communist Party. The BJP's rise reflects a significant political shift in the eastern Indian state, which has a population exceeding 100 million.

Tathagata Roy, a senior committee member and former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya, characterized the renaming effort as a corrective measure. "The committee will try to make amends for the mischiefs committed by the leftists," he said. Roy expressed certainty that streets named after Communist icons would be renamed under the new administration.

Many of the existing street names date back to the era when the Communist Party governed West Bengal, particularly during the 1970s amid the Vietnam War. For example, Ho Chi Minh Sarani was previously known as Harrington Street, named after a British colonial official during the time when Kolkata, then called Calcutta, was the capital of British India.

The proposed changes form part of a broader political realignment as the BJP consolidates its presence in the state, seeking to reframe historical and public symbols in line with its ideological perspective. The committee's findings and any subsequent renaming decisions will mark a notable transformation in Kolkata’s urban landscape, reflecting the evolving political narrative in West Bengal.