30 April,2019 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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Maharashtra Day or Maharashtra Diwas is celebrated to commemorate the formation of the state. Bombay state was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat on the basis of different languages on May 1, 1960. Maharashtra comprised of the areas where Marathi and Konkani were spoken whereas Gujarat comprised of the areas where Gujarati and Kutchi are dominating languages.
Maharashtra was formed on May 1, 1960, under the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960. The Act was enacted by the Parliament on April 25, 1960. On this day every year, a public holiday is declared in the state and it applies to all educational institutes and government offices.
Maharashtra Day also leads to a dry day in the state.
To celebrate the occasion, the Governor of Maharashtra presides over a parade and addresses a large gathering at Shivaji Park in Dadar.
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History: The Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti started its campaign in 1956 to demand a separate state with Bombay as its capital, for people who speak Marathi. The outfit was established on February 6, 1956, under the leadership of Keshavrao Jedhe in Pune.
As the country's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Home Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel were against the idea of a separate state, agitations built up and tensions flared on November 21, 1955, when the police fired the demonstrators at Flora Fountain in Mumbai.
However, the States Re-organisation Committee in 1956 recommended the creation of linguistic states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka but recommended a bi-lingual state for Maharashtra-Gujarat, with Mumbai as its capital. The committee also recommended that Vidharbha could be a separate state to unite the people who speak Marathi.
The agitation led to political turmoil in the state. When the second general elections were held in the year 1957, the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti defeated the Congress by securing 101 seats out of 133, including 12 from Mumbai. On May 1, 1960, Bombay state was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Maharashtra Day also coincides with International Worker's Day or Labour Day.
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