AMRAVATI

At the time of India’s independence, the region now known as Amravati district was part of the Berar region. In 1950, Berar was merged into the then state of Madhya Pradesh. Following the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, the Marathi-speaking areas of Madhya Pradesh were transferred to Bombay State. Finally, with the enactment of the Bombay Reorganisation Act in 1960, Bombay State was divided into Gujarat and Maharashtra, and Amravati officially became part of Maharashtra.

The Amravati district consists of the Amravati Lok Sabha, which includes 6 Vidhan Sabha segments: Achalpur, Amravati, Badnera, Daryapur, Melghat, and Teosa. Along with these constituencies, two Vidhan Sabha segments of Wardha Lok Sabha fall in the district: Dhamangaon Railway and Morshi.

Within the Vidhan Parishad, the Amravati District is represented by the Amravati Local Bodies Authorities Constituency, the Amravati Teachers’ Constituency, and the Amravati Graduates Constituency. The Graduates and Teachers’ Constituencies are based on the administrative divisions of Maharashtra. This chapter will focus primarily on the Amravati Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha segments that comprise it. For the other Vidhan Sabha constituencies that fall in the district, please refer to the chapter on Wardha Politics.

The given maps provide an overview of the boundaries of the Amravati district and the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha Constituencies that fall within and around it.

The given chart provides an overview of the changes that have occurred in the composition of the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency and the reshuffling of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies with every delimitation that has been done.

The following is the current Member of Parliament (MP) representing Amravati district in the Lok Sabha, as of 2024:

The following are the current Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing constituencies in Amravati district, as of 2024:

Anil Sukhdevrao Bonde, from the BJP, currently represents Amravati district in the Rajya Sabha, as of 2024.

The following is the Guardian Minister for Amravati district, as of 2024:

The following table lists the current Members of the Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad representing Amravati district through various constituencies, as of 2024:

The following are the key administrative heads of Anravati district, as of 2024:

There are a total of 15 Urban Local Bodies in Amravati district: 1 Mahanagar Palika, 10 Nagar Parishads, and 4 Nagar Panchayats. Additionally, the district has 841 Gram Panchayats.

The Amravati Zilla Parishad was established in 1962. As per a government notification dated 1 May 1981, the district then comprised 13 talukas and 13 panchayat samitis. Later, on 1 May 1999, a new Dhamangaon Railway taluka was created by reorganizing parts of Tivasa and Chandur Railway talukas. As a result, Amravati district now consists of 14 talukas and 14 panchayat samitis.

The Amravati Municipal Corporation was established on 15 August 1983. As of 2023, the corporation governs 87 wards. Dr. Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, husband of former President of India Pratibha Patil, was the first mayor of the Corporation and also served as an MLA from Amravati.

Since its formation, political power in the Corporation has alternated primarily between the INC and BJP. Parties like the Republican Party of India (RPI), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Prahar Janshakti Party have also played significant roles. As of 2019, Chetan Gavande from the BJP serves as the 16th Mayor. (Note: Elections were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The ten Municipal Councils, or Nagar Parishads, in Amravati district are located at Achalpur, Chandur, Anjangaon, Chandurbazar, Chikhaldara, Daryapur Banosa, Dattapur Dhamangaon, Morshi, Shendurjana, and Warud.

There are four Nagar Panchayats in the district located at Bhatukli, Dharni, Nandgaon Khandeshwar, and Tiwsa.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 30 contestants from the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency. Out of which, 10 candidates had criminal cases against them, with almost half of them having serious cases registered. The elected 2024 Amravati MP, Balwant Baswant Wankhade, has 1 criminal case against him.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 78 contestants from the Vidhan Sabha constituencies of Amravati. Out of which, 16 contestants had criminal cases against them, with most of them having serious cases registered. Candidates with the highest number of criminal cases registered were from the party, PJP, and the INC.

All of the elected MLAs have criminal cases registered against them. Among them, Bachchu Kadu from the Achalpura Vidhan Sabha constituency has the highest number of criminal cases (32 cases).

Mahatma Gandhi visited Amravati twice in 1928 and 1933. During his second visit, he held a meeting in which Natthuji Kisan Kale, a teacher, and his friend Ajabrao Shamrao Kale from the nearby village of Kushta Budurg were present; they were inspired by Gandhi and his words.

In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, a group of twelve individuals, Natthuji Kale, Ajabrao Kale, Kisanrao Hagone, Bhimraoji Tayde, Shamraoji Kharad, Namdevrao Dakhode, Lahanu Sadanshiv, Sampatrao Chaudhari, Sukhadevrao Thakkar, Kukalkar, and Sahebkhan Pathan, devised a plan to contribute to the movement by breaking the railway stop and tracks at Kushta Budurg. This disrupted the major British railway route, which was used to transport weapons and military equipment from Bombay to various places in Vidarbha.

Later, after an investigation, Natthuji was sentenced to a 5-year prison sentence but was released when India gained Independence in 1947.

On 12 November 2021, Raza Academy, an Islamic Fundamentalist organization based in Maharashtra, organised protests in the districts of Nanded, Amravati, Nashik, etc., against the communal violence that had battered the state of Tripura in October. These protests soon turned violent with protestors committing arson, pelting stones, and damaging public property. The BJP called for a bandh on 13th November, which resulted in a few more stone peltings. This was followed by the imposition of a 4-day-long curfew on the district.