DHULE

During the time of India’s independence, the region that now comprises the Dhule district was a part of the then West Khandesh District, which became a part of the Bombay State. With the implementation of the Bombay Reorganisation Act of 1960, the Bombay State was further divided into Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the region of West Khandesh was renamed as Dhule and was included in the state of Maharashtra. It was then bifurcated on 1 July 1998 into two separate districts, now known as Dhule and Nandurbar.

Dhule district consists of the Dhule Lok Sabha, which includes the following Vidhan Sabha segments:

Along with these constituencies, two Vidhan Sabha segments of Nandurbar Lok Sabha fall in the district: Sakri and Shirpur.

Within the Vidhan Parishad, the Dhule District is represented by the Dhule-Nandurbar Local Bodies Authorities Constituency, the Nashik Teachers’ Constituency, and the Nashik Graduates Constituency. The Graduates and Teachers’ Constituencies are based on the administrative divisions of Maharashtra. This chapter will focus primarily on the Dhule 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 Nandurbar’s Local Politics.

The given maps provide an overview of the boundaries of the 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 Dhule Lok Sabha constituency and the reshuffling of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies with every delimitation that has been done. The chart has been prepared based on records from the delimitation reports by the Election Commission.

As of 2024, Dhule district is represented in the Lok Sabha by the following Member of Parliament:

Dhule district is represented by six MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, as of 2024:

There is no member from the Dhule district currently in the Rajya Sabha.

The appointed Guardian Minister for Dhule district, as of 2024, is:

While Dhule district does not have a dedicated Vidhan Parishad constituency, it is represented through regional constituencies such as Dhule-Nandurbar, Nashik Teachers’, and Nashik Graduates’. As of 2024, the following members represent these constituencies:

As of 2024, the key administrative officials overseeing Dhule district are:

There are 5 Urban Local Bodies in the Dhule District: 1 Mahanagar Palika, 2 Nagar Parishad, and 2 Nagar Panchayat. There are 551 Gram Panchayats and 4 Panchayat Samiti.

Dhule Zilla Parishad was established on 1 May 1962. There are a total of 56 seats in the Zila Parishad of Dhule.

The establishment of the Dhule Municipal Corporation in 2003 marked an important milestone for the city. It is quite interesting to note that, as of 2023, the BJP has consistently been the top performer in the corporation elections. The presence of other parties like INC, SHS, and AIMIM, who have also won seats in the corporation, shows the diversity and competition in the local political landscape of Dhule.

Dhule district has two municipal councils (Nagar Parishads) that function as urban local governing bodies. These are the Dondaicha-Warwade Nagar Parishad and the Shirpur-Warwade Nagar Parishad.

The district also includes two town councils (Nagar Panchayats) that administer semi-urban areas: the Sakri Nagar Panchayat and the Sindkheda Nagar Panchayat.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 18 contestants from Dhule. Out of which, 7 candidates had criminal cases against them, with 4 of the contestants having serious cases registered. The contestant with the highest number of criminal cases registered was from the Loksangram Party, with 8 cases registered against them. The elected MP, Shobha Dinesh Bachhav, has 2 criminal cases against her and belongs to the Indian National Congress.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 48 contestants from the 6 Vidhan Sabha constituencies of Dhule. Out of which, 19 contestants had criminal cases against them, with 11 of them having serious cases. The candidate with the highest number of criminal cases registered was an Independent. No candidate from Balgan (ST) had cases registered against them.

The elected MLAs of all seats except Balgan (ST) have criminal cases registered against them. The elected MLA from Malegaon (Central), belonging to AIMIM, had the most cases registered against him.

After the Babari Masjid demolition on 6th December 1992, riots were triggered in the Lala Sardar Nagar area of Dhule city. A mob of Muslims is said to have gathered and attacked Hindu families. A few houses were demolished and set ablaze, and a handful of people were injured on both sides.

On 5 October 2008, communal riots broke out in Dhule when a group of Muslims gathered to welcome local Congress leader Sabir Mahebullah Khan (also known as Bhangarwale) returning from the Hajj. During the gathering, members of the crowd allegedly tore or hurled stones at posters put up by the Hindu Rakhshak Sabha, a Hindutva organization. These posters depicted bombings allegedly carried out by Muslim terrorists. The situation escalated into large-scale violence between Hindu and Muslim communities. According to reports, the police did not intervene until the third day of the riots. A total of 11 people were killed, 383 were injured, and 1,157 homes were damaged. The city remained under curfew for at least four days following the unrest.

The riots of January 2013 led to the death of 7 people and injured over 200 people, including 11 police officers, 102 policemen, and 100 civilians. According to the police, the riot started as a result of a row over an unpaid restaurant bill. The riots then spread to the Machhibazar, Palabazar, and Madhapura areas of Dhule city. The then Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan ordered a probe into the violence. A judicial commission, headed by retired Bombay High Court Judge Chandiwal, probed the case, and a report was submitted to the state government in 2016, but was not made public.

In June 2023, former union minister Subhash Bhamre and the then MP from Dhule led a morcha against the vandalism of a Ram Mandir on Sakhri Road. The Morcha was organised by Sakal Hindu Sangathana, an umbrella organisation of various right-wing outfits.