Jodhpur Airport Row Ahead of Modi’s Diwali Inauguration
Jodhpur Airport New terminal under construction (Image credit Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, X)
As the ₹480-crore Jodhpur Airport terminal nears completion, a political tussle brews over renaming it after Karni Mata Devi or Maharaja Umaid Singh.
By SANJAY SINGH
New Delhi, October 3, 2025 — Even as the new commercial airport terminal in Jodhpur is set to be inaugurated around Diwali this month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a political battle is unfolding over the renaming of the Jodhpur International Airport.
One faction of political outfits and social groups is strongly advocating renaming the airport as Mata Karni Devi Jodhpur International Airport, while another faction is pushing to name it Maharaja Umaid Singh Jodhpur International Airport.
Karni Mata Devi is revered as a Hindu goddess, while Maharaja Umaid Singh, who ruled Jodhpur from 1918 to 1947, was a distinguished monarch of the Rathore dynasty of Marwar. During his reign, Umaid Singh reformed and reorganized the Jodhpur State Forces and the judicial department, expanded primary education, revised the land revenue settlement, and introduced pensions and a Provident Fund for state employees. He also had a notable military career before his untimely death at the age of 43.
Meanwhile, preparations for the launch of civil air operations are in full swing. The new passenger terminal has been developed as a civil enclave within the Jodhpur Air Force Station at a cost of ₹480 crore.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confirmed that construction is in its final stages and directed the state authorities to ensure its completion before Prime Minister Modi inaugurates it between October 18–21, dedicating the new facility to the people of Jodhpur during Diwali.
Jodhpur, Rajasthan’s second-largest city after Jaipur, will see its air connectivity significantly boosted with the new terminal. Initially, at least 13 domestic flights are expected to operate from the facility, which has been designed with the capacity to handle international operations in the future.
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