In a significant development, the Maharashtra government has reconstituted its high-powered committee to address the decades-old border dispute with Karnataka. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will head the revamped 18-member panel, tasked with building a united front to protect the interests of Marathi-speaking populations living in contested areas such as Belagavi and surrounding villages.
The move comes in the backdrop of the recent formation of the new state government after last year’s assembly elections, which saw the Mahayuti alliance retain power. A government resolution (GR) issued on Thursday stated that the panel was restructured to ensure a “non-partisan and representative” approach for arriving at crucial decisions through consensus.
Joining CM Fadnavis on the panel are Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with former chief ministers Sharad Pawar, Prithviraj Chavan, and Narayan Rane. Senior leaders across the political spectrum — including NCP (SP) MLAs Rohit Patil and Jayant Patil, BJP legislators Sudhir Gadgil and Sachin Kalyan Shetty, and ministers like Chandrakant Patil, Shambhuraj Desai, Prakash Abitkar, and Suresh Khade — have also been included.
Interestingly, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress MLAs have not been included in the panel, and with the post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly still vacant, the committee does not yet represent the full political diversity of the state legislature.
The Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, which traces its roots to the 1957 States Reorganisation Act, remains a deeply emotive issue. Maharashtra has consistently asserted its claim over Belagavi and more than 800 Marathi-speaking villages currently under Karnataka’s jurisdiction. Karnataka, on the other hand, relies on the findings of the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report and maintains that the linguistic demarcation is final.
Over the years, the border row has sparked political tensions and public protests on both sides. While the matter remains sub judice in the Supreme Court.
