Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti

Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (Committee for Integration with Maharashtra) is a linguistic socio-political committee based out of Belgaum city in the Indian state of Karnataka.[1] It acts as a single issue political party demanding the merger of Belgaum district in Karnataka with the state of Maharashtra.[2]

Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti
PresidentDeepak Dalvi
Founded1946
HeadquartersBelgaum, Karnataka
IdeologyMerger of Belgaum district with Maharashtra
Website
https://www.mesbelgaum.com/

History

After India became independent in 1947, the Belgaum district (which was in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency) became a part of the Bombay State. In 1948, the Belgaum City Council passed a resolution declaring that the district was a Marathi majority district and demanding for the inclusion of the Belgaum district in the proposed state of Samyukta Maharashtra.[3] The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti was formed in the same year pursuing the single point demand for the inclusion of the district in the state of Maharashtra. The States Reorganisation Commission recommended the inclusion of the Belgaum district to the state of Mysore.[4] The district was subsequently merged into the Mysore State (currently Karnataka) when the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was passed by the Parliament of India.[5] The Economic Times describes the MES to have held a significant influence in the district since.[4]

Electoral history

The committee has consistently supported candidates for the to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly; primarily from constituencies in the district of Belgaum. The committee members have also contested elections to the Belgaum City Corporation where it has held a dominant position from time to time.[6] It was a registered party in the 1962 Mysore Legislative Assembly election.[7]

MES contests elections only in a few seats in Belagavi area and does not get enough votes to be recognized as an official party. So its candidates often contest elections as 'Independent'.

  • 1957 Mysore State : Balkrishna Sunthankar won from Belgaum City Vidhan Sabha seat. Balwant Naik won from Nippani. Balwantrao and Shyam Sundar, two MLAs from Bhalki, were either MES activists or at least supported by MES. Nagendra Samaji and Vitthal Patil, PWP's MLAs from Belgaum, were supported by MES. Both of them won again under MES banner 5 years later. And Scheduled Caste Federation's candidate Datta Katti from Chikkodi Lok Sabha, supported by MES, won the election defeating his Congress rival.
  • 1962 Karnataka Assembly : MES won 6 seats. MES won in Karwar, Khanapur, and Nippani.
    And all 3 candidates elected from Belagavi were from MES.
    1) Balkrishna Sunthankar, 2) Vitthal Patil, and 3) Nagendra Samaji. [8]
  • 1967 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi and Khanapur.
  • 1972 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi (?), Khanapur, and Uchagaon.
  • 1978 Karnataka Assembly : MES dominated the city area, winning from Belagavi, Uchagaon, Bagewadi, Khanapur, Nipani.
  • 1983 Karnataka Assembly : MES dominated the city area, winning from Belagavi, Uchagaon, Bagewadi.
  • 1985 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi and Uchagaon. But lost in Bagewadi.
  • 1989 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi and Uchagaon.
  • 1994 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi and Uchagaon. But lost in Bagewadi.
  • 1999 Karnataka Assembly : Basavant Patil lost in Uchagaon, and Malojirao Ashtekar lost in Belagavi.
  • 2004 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Uchagaon.
  • 2008 Karnataka Assembly : Kiran Sayanak of MES lost in Belagavi-South.
  • 2013 Karnataka Assembly : MES won in Belagavi Dakshin and Khanapur.
  • 2018 Karnataka Assembly : MES split in two factions. Shahar Ekikarana Samiti, let by Kiran Thakur. And Madhyawartee (Central) Ekikarana Samiti, led by Deepak Dalvi. In Khanapur and Belagavi's 3 seats (North, South, Rural) the factions fought against each other, and all the candidates lost.
  • Belagavi Vidhan Sabha Seat : MES won it in 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972(?), 1978, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994.
  • Uchagaon Vidhan Sabha Seat : MES won it in 1972, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 2004. The seat ceased to exist after 2008.
  • Bagewadi Vidhan Sabha Constituency : MES won it in 1978, 1983. But lost in 1985 and 1994.
  • Khanapur Vidhan Sabha Seat : MES won it in 1962, 1967, 1972, 1978, 2013.
  • Nippani Vidhan Sabha Seat : MES won it in 1962, 1978.

Candidates in elections

V N Nisal (President of the first committee)
Dr Kowadkar (Leading light in 1950s)
Shri B R Sunthankar (Leading light in 1950s and 1960s), and MLA from Belagavi in 1957 and 1962
Laxman Birje, MLA from Khanapur in 1957 and 1962
Nilkanth Sardesai, MLA from Khanapur in 1967, 1972, 1978
Balwant Bhimrao Sayanak who became MLA from Belagavi in 1967 and 1978
Prabhakar Pawashe, MLA from Uchagaon in 1972 and 1978
Govind Ashtekar, MLA from Bagewadi in 1978, 1983, but lost in 1985 and 1994
Basavant Iroji Patil, MLA from Uchagaon in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994. But he lost in 1999.
Rajabhau Mane, MLA from Belagavi in 1983, 1985
Bapusaheb Mahagaonkar, MLA from Belagavi in 1989.
Narayan Rao Tarale, MLA from Belagavi in 1994
Sambhaji Patil (1951-2019) was the mayor of Belgavi city for three terms and was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Belgaum Dakshin constituency for one term in 2013.[9]
Manohar Kinekar was a former member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Uchagaon constituency in 2004, but lost from Balagavi Rural in 2013.[3]
Arvind Patil, MLA from Khanapur in 2013.

References
  1. Ghadyalpatil, Abhiram; Poovanna, Sharan (10 May 2018). "In Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka, bid for merger with Maharashtra gets election push". Livemint. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. Mahaprashastra, Ajoy Ashirwad (2 May 2018). "Despite Setbacks, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti Charges Ahead in Karnataka's Belagavi". The Wire. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. Ravi Sharma (3–16 December 2005). "A dispute revived". Frontline. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
  4. Kuber, Girish (28 November 2005). "District's always been bone of contention". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "Seventh Amendment". Indiacode.nic.in. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  6. "MES leader Sambhajirao passes away". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  7. "Karnataka 1962". Election Commission of India.
  8. "Karnataka Election Results 1962, Karnataka Assembly Elections Results 1962". www.elections.in.
  9. "Belagavi: Former MLA, MES leader Sambhaji Patil passes away". Daijiworld. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.

See also
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