Legislature, Administration, Local Government & Regional Boards of Maharashtra — MPSC GS Paper II and Prelims Paper I
Weightage: GS Paper II asks the Constitution and governance "with some weightage to Maharashtra", and Prelims Paper I asks Maharashtra's polity and governance and its districts and divisions. The national polity comes from the UPSC CSE chapters aliased into this hub. This chapter adds the state's institutions, counts and laws.
1. The state and its legislature
Maharashtra was formed on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960, with Mumbai as its capital. Maharashtra Din is observed on 1 May.
The legislature is bicameral, one of the few in India with two houses.
| House | Strength | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) | 288 elected members | 29 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and 25 for Scheduled Tribes |
| Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) | 78 members | 30 elected by MLAs, 22 by local authorities, 7 by graduates, 7 by teachers, 12 nominated by the Governor |
In Parliament Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, second only to Uttar Pradesh, and 19 Rajya Sabha seats.
The Nagpur session. The legislature sits at Mumbai, but its winter session is held at Nagpur every year. This fulfils a promise of the Nagpur Pact (1953) to Vidarbha, and Nagpur is often called the state's second capital.
The Council of Ministers cannot exceed 15 per cent of the Assembly, which caps it at 43 members under Article 164(1A). The Governor is the constitutional head; executive power rests with the Chief Minister and the Council.
2. The judiciary
The Bombay High Court, established in 1862, is one of the three oldest chartered High Courts in India, with Calcutta and Madras. Its principal seat is at Mumbai.
It has benches at Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and Panaji, and a circuit bench at Kolhapur was notified in 2025. Its jurisdiction covers Maharashtra, Goa, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
3. The administrative map
The state secretariat, the Mantralaya in Mumbai, is headed by the Chief Secretary. Below it, the state has 6 revenue divisions and 36 districts.
| Division | Districts |
|---|---|
| Konkan | Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg (7) |
| Pune | Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur (5) |
| Nashik | Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar (5) |
| Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli (8) |
| Amravati | Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana, Yavatmal (5) |
| Nagpur | Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli (6) |
New names must be known in both forms: Aurangabad is now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad is now Dharashiv (2023), and Ahmednagar is now Ahilyanagar (2024). Palghar, carved from Thane in 2014, is the newest district.
At the district level, the Collector is the revenue head, district magistrate and coordinator of development. Below the district are sub-divisions and talukas under the Tehsildar, and at the village level the Talathi keeps land records and the Police Patil assists in law and order.
Worked example 3.1 (a Prelims-style count). "How many members of the Maharashtra Legislative Council are elected by local authorities, and how many are nominated?"
Answer. 22 are elected by local authority constituencies and 12 are nominated by the Governor. Check the total: 30 + 22 + 7 + 7 + 12 = 78.
4. Regional imbalance and Article 371(2)
Maharashtra's three regions developed unequally. Western Maharashtra, with Mumbai, Pune and the sugar belt, pulled ahead of Vidarbha and Marathwada. The state has studied the gap three times:
| Committee | Year | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Dandekar Committee (Fact-Finding Committee on Regional Imbalance) | 1984 | Measured the regional backlog in sectors such as irrigation, roads and health |
| Indicators and Backlog Committee | 1990s | Updated the backlog for the development boards |
| Kelkar Committee (High Level Committee on Balanced Regional Development) | 2013 | Recommended the taluka as the unit of planning and a new formula for allocating funds |
Article 371(2) allows the President to give the Governor of Maharashtra a special responsibility for separate development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra, for the equitable allocation of development funds and fair opportunities in technical education, vocational training and state employment.
The boards were set up in 1994. Their term lapsed in 2020 and the state moved to revive them, so check their present status before the exam.
Worked example 4.1 (a 15-mark answer, ~250 words). "Examine the role of Article 371(2) in addressing regional imbalance in Maharashtra."
Model answer. Maharashtra's regional gap goes back to its formation. Western Maharashtra, with the Mumbai-Pune industrial belt and irrigated sugar districts, grew faster than Vidarbha and Marathwada, which had lower irrigation, industry and social indicators.
The Nagpur Pact of 1953 promised Vidarbha a proportionate share of spending, and Article 371(2) gave the promise constitutional form. It lets the President vest the Governor with a special responsibility for development boards for the three regions and for the fair allocation of funds, education and jobs. The boards were constituted in 1994, and the Governor issued directives on the division of funds, especially for irrigation backlogs.
The record is mixed. The boards made regional allocation a visible, rule-based process, and the Dandekar and later backlog committees gave it data. But backlogs in irrigation and roads persisted, funds were sometimes diverted, and the boards' term lapsed in 2020 before the state moved to revive them.
The Kelkar Committee of 2013 argued that the real imbalance is within regions as well as between them, and recommended the taluka as the unit of planning.
The way forward is to allocate by need at the taluka level, protect funds for backlog sectors, publish outcomes, and use the boards as monitors rather than only as allocators.
5. Local government
Rural bodies. On the recommendation of the Vasantrao Naik Committee (1960), Maharashtra passed the Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961, and the Zilla Parishads began work on 1 May 1962. The three tiers are:
- Gram Panchayat at the village, under the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act, 1958, with the Gram Sevak as secretary.
- Panchayat Samiti at the block, with the Block Development Officer.
- Zilla Parishad at the district, with its own Chief Executive Officer, an IAS officer.
Maharashtra made the Zilla Parishad the strongest tier, with real functions in education, health and rural works. The Bongirwar Committee (1970) and P. B. Patil Committee (1984) later reviewed the system.
Other features:
- Half of the seats in rural and urban local bodies are reserved for women, a rule Maharashtra adopted in 2011.
- Mahila Gram Sabhas meet before the full Gram Sabha, so that women's concerns reach it.
- The mode of electing the sarpanch has changed more than once, between direct and indirect election, so confirm the current rule.
- Local body elections were delayed for years by litigation over OBC reservation and the Supreme Court's "triple test" for it, until the Court directed that they be held.
Urban bodies are municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. Maharashtra has 29 municipal corporations, among the most of any state. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has the largest budget of any municipal body in India.
Scheduled Areas. Parts of about a dozen districts, from Palghar and Nandurbar to Gadchiroli, are Fifth Schedule areas with a Tribes Advisory Council. Maharashtra framed its PESA rules in 2014, giving Gram Sabhas in these areas powers over minor forest produce and local resources.
6. Commissions and landmark laws
| Institution or law | Note |
|---|---|
| Maharashtra Public Service Commission | Recruits to the state services under Article 315; conducts this examination |
| Lokayukta | Set up under a 1971 Act, making Maharashtra among the first states with a Lokayukta; a newer law bringing the Chief Minister within its scope has been legislated, so confirm whether it is in force |
| State Election Commission and State Finance Commission | Required by the 73rd and 74th Amendments |
| State Information Commission and State Human Rights Commission | Hear RTI appeals and human rights complaints |
| Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015 | Time-bound delivery of notified services, many through the Aaple Sarkar portal, with a commission to hear appeals |
| Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 | The state's rural job guarantee, the model for MGNREGA |
| Anti-superstition (black magic) Act, 2013 | Passed after the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar |
| Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999 | A special law against organised crime |
| State Policy for Women, 1994 | The first state women's policy in India |
Common traps MPSC sets here
- Calling the legislature unicameral. Maharashtra has both a 288-seat Assembly and a 78-member Council.
- Placing the winter session in Mumbai. It is held at Nagpur, under the Nagpur Pact.
- Forgetting Goa and the Union Territory in the High Court's jurisdiction. The Bombay High Court covers Maharashtra, Goa, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
- Using old district names alone. Pair them: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Dharashiv (Osmanabad), Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar).
- Confusing the Dandekar and Kelkar Committees. Dandekar (1984) measured the backlog; Kelkar (2013) recommended taluka-level planning.
Memory aids
- "288, 78, 48, 19": Assembly, Council, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha.
- "30-22-7-7-12": the Council's composition.
- "7-5-5-8-5-6": districts in the Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and Nagpur divisions.
- "Naik 60, Act 61, ZP 62": the Panchayati Raj sequence.
Summary
Maharashtra, formed on 1 May 1960, has a bicameral legislature of 288 and 78 members, 48 Lok Sabha and 19 Rajya Sabha seats, a winter session at Nagpur, and the Bombay High Court with benches at Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Panaji. It has 6 divisions and 36 districts, several with new names.
Regional imbalance between western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada is addressed through Article 371(2) development boards and the Dandekar and Kelkar reports. The state built strong Zilla Parishads from 1962, reserves half of local body seats for women, and pioneered laws from the Employment Guarantee Act to the Right to Public Services Act.
Exam protocol
- Keep one page of counts: seats, divisions, districts and the Council's composition.
- For regional imbalance, cite the Nagpur Pact, Article 371(2), the boards and the committees.
- Name institutions and laws, and avoid naming current office-holders.
