The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to issue a notification inviting opinions and objections for one month on the proposed renaming of Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru.
The decision was taken at a special Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on Friday, September 18, where the Cabinet also decided to accord Tulu the status of second additional language in the state.
The demand to rename the district has been pending for several years and gained renewed momentum after the state Cabinet approved the renaming of Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South.
The move follows a resolution passed by the Dakshina Kannada District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) in July 2025, urging the state government to rename the district as Mangaluru.
At the DISHA meeting, presided over by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja raised the demand, saying that people from the district commonly identify themselves with Mangaluru and that the city is widely recognised nationally and internationally.
MLAs Y Bharat Shetty, D Vedavyasa Kamath, Umanath Kotian and Bhagirathi Murulya, along with MLC Prathapsimha Nayak and other elected representatives and nominated members of the committee, supported the demand, according to The Hindu.
Chowta had said that the committee's resolution would be sent to the state government.
The district administration had also said it would prepare a formal proposal to the government.
Supporters of the renaming have argued that the name Mangaluru has stronger recognition and reflects the region's identity.
The Mangaluru Zilla Tulupara Horata Samithi has also backed the demand. Dayanand Kattalsar, former president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, argued that names such as South Canara and Dakshina Kannada were imposed during earlier periods of colonial rule.
The Samithi cited historical references to Mangaluru and Tulunadu in support of the demand. Kattalsar also referred to old Paddanas, or sung narratives, that mention the region as "Mangara".
The demand has received support across political parties. The Hindu reported that former Mangaluru City North MLA B A Mohiuddin Bava, former Mangaluru City Corporation councillor Kiran Kodical and former Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners Association president Dilraj Alva also supported the renaming.
Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyasa Kamath had said in a statement on July 5 that renaming the district as Mangaluru would give fresh impetus to the demand for greater recognition of the Tulu language and identity.
The Cabinet's decision to invite objections and opinions will now open the formal public consultation process before any final decision on the proposed name change.