JALGAON

Located in the northwestern part of Maharashtra, Jalgaon district lies in the Khandesh region, rich in black cotton soil and drained by the Tapi River. Historically, this area has been part of ancient kingdoms such as the Mauryas, Satavahanas, and later the Faruqi dynasty of Khandesh. During the British era, Jalgaon was part of the Bombay Presidency and was included in the Khandesh district. In 1906, the original Khandesh district was divided into East Khandesh (with headquarters at Jalgaon) and West Khandesh (now Dhule). After independence, East Khandesh was renamed Jalgaon District in 1960, following the formation of the state of Maharashtra. The district has since developed as an important agricultural and commercial hub, known particularly for its banana production and pulse processing industries.

The Jalgaon district consists of 2 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Jalgaon Lok Sabha and partially, the Raver Lok Sabha. The Jalgaon Lok Sabha Constituency includes 6 Vidhan Sabha segments: Amalner, Chalisgaon, Erandol, Jalgaon City, Jalgaon Rural, and Pachora. The Raver Lok Sabha comprises 5 Vidhan Sabha segments: Malkapur, Bhusawal, Chopda, Jamner, Muktainagar, and Raver.

Within the Vidhan Parishad, Jalgaon is represented by the Jalgaon Local Authorities' constituencies, the Nashik Teachers’ Constituency, and the Nashik Graduates Constituency. The Graduates and Teachers’ Constituencies are based on the administrative divisions of Maharashtra.

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

Based on records from the delimitation reports by the Election Commission, the given chart provides an overview of the changes that have occurred in the composition of the Lok Sabha constituencies in Jalgaon and the reshuffling of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies with every delimitation that has been done.

The following are the current Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Jalgaon district in the Lok Sabha, as of 2024:

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

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

Gulabrao Patil, from SHS, currently serves as the Guardian Minister of Jalgaon district. 

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

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

There are 19 Urban Local Bodies in the Jalgaon District: one Mahanagar Palika, 15 Nagar Parishad, and three Nagar Panchayats. There are 1156 Gram Panchayats and 15 Panchayat Samitis.

The Zilla Parishad was established in 1962 and currently has 67 elected members, with most of them being from the BJP. With the recent Maharashtra administrative reshuffling in July 2023, Ayush Prasad was appointed as the District Magistrate of the Jalgaon District, Aman Mittal as the District Collector, and Minal Karanwal as Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad.

The Jalgaon Municipal Corporation was established in 2003. There are a total of 75 seats. Currently, the Mayor is Jayshree Mahajan from SHS, and the Commissioner is Vidya Gaikwad (IAS). Over the years, the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation has seen Mayors from parties such as the NCP, Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena, Khandesh Vikas Aghadi, SHS, and BJP. Currently, most of the corporators are from the Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance of SHS and NCP, with the rest being from the BJP and AIMIM.

Jalgaon district has several Municipal Councils (Nagar Parishads) that administer local urban governance across its towns. These include Amalner, Bhadgaon, Bhusawal, Chalisgaon, Chopda, Dharangaon, Erandol, Faizpur, Jamner, Pachora, Parola, Raver, Savda, Varangaon, and Yawal. Each of these Nagar Parishads is responsible for providing basic civic amenities, local infrastructure, and public services within its respective jurisdiction.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 14 candidates from Jalgaon and 24 from Raver Lok Sabha. Out of which, there were 4 candidates from Jalgaon and 3 from Raver who had criminal cases against them. The current Jalgaon MP, Smita Wagh, and Raver MP Raksha Nikhil both have no cases registered against them.

In the 2019 election, there were a total of 222 candidates across all the Vidhan Sabha segments (of both Jalgaon and Raver Lok Sabha). Out of which, around 30% of them had criminal cases registered against them, with 20% of them having serious criminal cases. The political parties, Shiv Sena and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, had the highest number of candidates with serious criminal cases.

Currently, of the 12 elected MLAs, seven have criminal cases against them, with almost all of them being serious cases.

The 50th session of Congress, which was held on 27 and 28 December 1936, was a milestone in the history of India’s freedom struggle, as it was the first Congress session to be held in a rural setting. This decision was symbolic, reflecting the party’s growing emphasis on the agrarian question and the struggles of India’s vast rural population, which was deeply affected by colonial policies. This shift in focus was largely influenced by the Kisan Manifesto, a program formulated by Congress-affiliated peasant movements. At Faizpur, a village on the outskirts of Yawal taluka of Jalgaon district, the Congress articulated an agrarian program that called for a 50% reduction in land tax and rent, the establishment of a minimum wage for agricultural workers, the recognition of peasant unions, and the abolition of various feudal levies that burdened farmers. Jawaharlal Nehru, who presided over the Faizpur session, delivered a landmark speech in which he called for the Congress to embrace socialism as its ultimate goal. The session also helped consolidate the Congress's influence in rural Maharashtra, which was emerging as a significant base of support for the party.

In 2019, the Jalgaon Bus Operators staged a four-day strike to express their dissatisfaction with the poor condition of the Jalgaon-Aurangabad-Pune route’s roads, such as multiple large potholes that would significantly increase the travel time. The strike was coordinated by the Jalgaon District Bus Owners Association and demanded that, unless the road conditions were improved, the operators would cease their tax payments.

The Jalgaon Milk Co-operative Union had long been under the influence of the politically powerful Khadse family. In October, it was found that approximately 1.2 crore worth of dairy products were unaccounted for in the federation's warehouse. Eknath Khadse, a six-term MLA from Muktainagar and a member of the Khadse family, staged a day-long protest outside the Jalgaon Police station to criticise the lack of action taken by the police against the officials of the Jalgaon district milk federation.

In December, elections for the Jalgaon Milk Union were held. Khadse’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Sahakar Panel was defeated by the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS)-BJP Sethkari Panel.

In 1970, a religious organisation called Rashtriya Utsav Mandal (RUM), associated with some members of the SHS, organised a massive Shiv Jayanti procession to honour the Maratha king Shivaji. This procession was allowed to pass by the Nizampura Jumma Mosque despite the warnings of Muslim leaders. The procession included around 10,000 participants who carried lathis (sticks) and chanted anti-Muslim slogans as they went through the area. This led to Muslims in the area throwing stones in response, sparking a riot in Bhiwandi. The violence quickly spread to Jalgaon, triggering another riot there. During these riots, both Hindus and Muslims clashed, resulting in killings and looting on both sides. The unrest continued for eight days before the police could regain control of the situation. In Jalgaon, around 43 people lost their lives: 42 were Muslim and 1 was Hindu.

In March 2023, a religious procession known as 'dindi' took place from Jalgaon to Vani, accompanied by DJ music. The procession route passed through a Masjid in Paldhi Village, Jalgaon, while the Namaz was ongoing. A disagreement over the playing of music in front of the Masjid escalated, leading to stone-pelting between the two groups.. The residents stated that numerous Muslim homes were looted and attacked. According to the police, the peace was quickly restored.