Decoded: What is the border tussle between Maharashtra and Karnataka?

The Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute dates back to the linguistic reorganisation of Indian states in 1956 and remains unresolved to date. Here's a deep dive

The longstanding border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has again flared up following an attack on a bus driver and conductor in Belagavi for allegedly not speaking Marathi. The incident, latest in the decades-old dispute, has led to the bus services between the two states coming to a standstill.

 

The dispute dates back to the linguistic reorganisation of Indian states in 1956 and remains unresolved to date. Here’s a closer look.

 

Origins of dispute

 

Following India’s independence in 1947, the Belgaum (now Belagavi) district, a region with a multilingual population which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, became a focal point of linguistic and territorial disputes. In 1948, the Belgaum municipality requested that the region be merged with Maharashtra, claiming that it had a predominantly Marathi population.

 

 

To resolve this and other boundary disputes, the States Reorganisation Act was passed in 1956, which redrew state boundaries based on linguistic demographics. Under this act, Belgaum was merged into Karnataka (then Mysore State). The Act included recommendations by the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), chaired by Justice Fazal Ali, which was established in 1953.

 

The panel, which published its report in 1955, recommended that the Belgaum district, which includes the city of Belgaum and surrounding areas, remain a part of the then Mysore State. This decision was influenced by factors such as administrative convenience, economic links, and the linguistic composition of the region.

 

While the panel acknowledged the presence of both Marathi and Kannada-speaking populations in the border areas, it emphasised that linguistic factors should not be the sole criterion for redrawing state boundaries. The commission considered a combination of administrative efficiency, economic viability, and the wishes of the people in making its recommendations.

 

“If as many as nine out of the eleven taluks go to Karnataka (Chandgad going to Bombay and Belgaum being disputed), then, on administrative grounds, the Belgaum town, which is the district headquarters, along with the Belgaum taluk, should also go to Karnataka,” the panel noted in its report.

 

However, Maharashtra has long claimed the region, arguing that Marathi-speaking areas, including Belgaum and surrounding villages, should rightfully be part of its territory.

 

Mahajan Commission report

 

To address the dispute, the central government in 1966 established the Mahajan Commission, led by former Chief Justice of India Mehr Chand Mahajan. The commission’s report, submitted in 1967, made several key recommendations:

 

1. The commission recommended that Belgaum city and 247 surrounding villages remain within Karnataka.

 

2. It proposed that 264 villages, including areas like Nippani, Khanapur, and Nandagad, be transferred to Maharashtra.

 

Maharashtra rejected the report, terming it "biased and illogical," while Karnataka welcomed it.

 

Legal and political disputes

 

The dispute took a legal turn in 2004 when Maharashtra filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging Karnataka’s control over the region. While the case remains pending, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution in 2022 asserting its claim over Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka.

 

Maharashtra has also lent support to pressure groups such as Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES). In December 2024, Maharashtra objected to the arrest of several MES workers for opposing the Karnataka legislature session in Belagavi.

 

Meanwhile, Karnataka has repeatedly asserted its claim by holding legislative sessions in Belagavi. The state has also dissolved Belagavi City Corporation multiple times for passing resolutions favouring the merger of Belagavi with Maharashtra.

 

In 2022, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde fuelled the dispute by announcing welfare schemes for freedom fighters in Belagavi and other Marathi-speaking regions in Karnataka. In response, then Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai announced grants for Kannada schools in Maharashtra.

 

What is the latest dispute?

 

On February 21, a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus conductor was allegedly assaulted for not speaking in Marathi in Belagavi’s Marihal area. The altercation began when a 17-year-old girl and her companion boarded the bus and demanded the conductor speak Marathi. When he expressed his inability to do so, tensions escalated, leading to the conductor’s assault by a gathered crowd. Four people, including the girl, were detained.

 

In response to the assault on the KSRTC conductor, pro-Kannada activists targeted Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses. In Chitradurga, Karnataka, activists halted an MSRTC bus, defaced it, and blackened the driver’s face while chanting slogans.

 

Due to these incidents, interstate bus services between Maharashtra and Karnataka remain suspended for the second consecutive day on February 24.