SANGLI

Sangli district was officially formed on 1 August 1949, as South Satara district. It comprised six talukas from the former Satara district, along with two talukas that were previously part of Karnataka. These included areas from the erstwhile princely states and institutions of Jat, Aundh, Kurundwad, Miraj, and Sangli. Following the reorganisation of states and the formation of Maharashtra on 1 May 1960, South Satara was renamed as Sangli district.

The Sangli district comprises the Sangli Lok Sabha constituency, which encompasses the Vidhan Sabha segments of Jat, Khanapur, Miraj, Palus-Kadegaon, Tasgaon-Kavathe, and Mahankal. Additionally, the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency is divided into two segments: Islampur and Shirala.

Within the Vidhan Parishad, the Sangli District is represented by Sangli-Satara Local Bodies Authorities Constituency, the Pune Teachers’ Constituency, and the Pune 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 Sangli district and the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha Constituencies that fall within and around it.

The Sangli Lok Sabha constituency was only established in 1967. Previously, the district was represented by the Miraj Lok Sabha constituency. 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 Lok Sabha constituencies and the reshuffling of Vidhan Sabha constituencies with every delimitation.

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

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

Ramdas Athawale was nominated from the Sangli district to represent Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha.

Chandrakant Patil (BJP) is the current Guardian Minister for Sangli district, as of 2024.

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

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

There are 11 Urban Local Bodies in the Sangli District: 1 Mahanagar Palika, 6 Nagar Parishad, 4 Nagar Panchayat. There are 699 Gram Panchayats and 10 Panchayat Samiti.

Sangli Zilla Parishad was established on 1 May, 1962. There are a total of 60 seats in the Zila Parishad.

The Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad City Municipal Corporation (SMKMC) was established on 9 February 1998 and governs a total of 78 wards across the twin cities. It is the largest municipal corporation in South Maharashtra and serves an estimated population of 6.5 lakh. As the local self-government body, SMKMC is responsible for overseeing urban development, civic infrastructure, and public services in the region. Since its formation, the INC and NCP have largely held a majority in the Corporation.

Sangli district has seven municipal councils that manage the administration and civic infrastructure of medium-sized urban areas. These include the Nagar Parishads of Ashta, Jath, Palus, Tasgaon, Uran, Islampur, and Vita. Each council is responsible for essential services such as water supply, waste management, local roads, and public health within its jurisdiction.

There are two Nagar Panchayats in Sangli district, located in Kavthemahakal and Khanapur. These town councils serve smaller urban settlements and act as transitional governance bodies for areas developing from rural to urban status.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 20 contestants from the Sangli Lok Sabha constituency. Out of this, eight contestants had criminal cases against them, with two having serious cases registered. The contestant with the highest number of criminal cases registered was an Independent. The elected MP, Vishal (Dada) Prakashbapu Patil, has nine criminal cases against him.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 50 contestants from six constituencies. Out of these candidates, 18 contestants had criminal cases against them, with five of them having serious cases registered. Independent candidates had the most cases against them.

Of the six elected MLAs, two have serious criminal cases registered against them. Dr. Suresh (Bhau) Dagadu Khade (BJP) from Miraj (SC) Vidhan Sabha constituency has the highest number of criminal cases. The MLAs without any registered cases were from the Jat, Khanpur, Sangli, Tasgaon-Kavathe-Mahanka, and Palus-Kadegaon Vidhan Sabha Constituencies.

Since 2023, districts such as Pune, Solapur, and Kolhapur have experienced protests held by members of the Dhangar community asking to be included in the ST category. The community claims that the Dhangad tribe, which has ST status, is identical to the Dhangars and that a “spelling mistake has cost them the ST status”. The Dhangars are on Maharashtra’s list of Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), but have been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for decades. According to Dhangar leaders, the community is identified as “Dhangad” elsewhere in the country, and gets reservation as an ST. On 21 September 2023, Members of the Dhangar community held a protest at the Ankali Toll Naka on the Sangli-Kolhapur border, obstructing traffic for about half an hour.

Members of the Vadar community, hailing from both Sangli and Kolhapur districts, gathered to stage a march towards the district collector's office in Sangli on 24 July 2023. The demonstration was organised under the leadership of the Maharashtra State Vadar Sangh.

The march was organised to demand various rights for the neglected Vadar community in the state, including exemptions from stringent caste certificates and caste verification requirements for students and individuals belonging to the community. The memorandum of demands from the Vadar community was submitted to the district authorities during this event. This demonstration was organised under the leadership of Mukund Pawar, the State President of Maharashtra State Vadar Sangh, and Vinayak Kalgutgi, the Sangli District President.

Between September and October 2023, several districts in Maharashtra witnessed widespread protests led by Jarange Patil, a native of Jalna, advocating for the inclusion of the Maratha community in the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) category for reservations in government jobs and education. On 17 September 2023, a massive rally took place in Sangli city, organised by the Maratha Kranti Morcha and Sakal Maratha. At Rammandir Chowk, five youths, including a young woman, spoke on behalf of the protesters. A memorandum addressed to the district collector was read aloud during the event.