SATARA

Satara was once the capital of the Maratha Kingdom under Shahu I. The district's name is believed to derive from Saat Tara or Saat Tare, meaning "Seven Stars," referring to the seven hill forts scattered across the surrounding landscape. Historically, the region was known as the Satara Province. In 1856, twelve new mahals (administrative regions) were added to the existing structure. By 1948, Satara district consisted of eleven subdivisions, including Bijapur (now in Karnataka), Jaoli, Karad, Khanapur, Khatav, Koregaon, Pandharpur, Satara, Tasgaon, Walwa, and Wai.

In 1949, the district was reorganized into two parts: North Satara, with its headquarters in Satara town, and South Satara, headquartered in Sangli. Both were included in the then Bombay State. Following the formation of Maharashtra in 1960, North Satara was renamed Satara district, and South Satara became the Sangli district.

According to the 1961 Census, Satara district comprised nine talukas and two mahals, covering a total of 1,160 villages. Satara also holds an important place in Maharashtra's political landscape, having produced five chief ministers of the state.

The Satara district consists of the Satara Lok Sabha constituency, which includes the following Vidhan Sabha segments:

Within the Vidhan Parishad, the Satara District is represented by the 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 Satara 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 Satara Lok Sabha constituency and the reshuffling of the Vidhan Sabha constituencies with every delimitation that has been done.

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

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

Nitin Patil, a member of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), represents Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, and belongs to Satara District.

Shambhuraj Desai (SHS) is the current Guardian Minister for Satara district, as of 2024.

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

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

There are 17 Urban Local Bodies in the Satara District: 1 Mahanagar Palika, 9 Nagar Parishad, and 8 Nagar Panchayat. There are 1493 Gram Panchayats and 11 Panchayat Samiti.

Satara Zilla Parishad (ZP Satara) was established in May 1962 under the guidance of Yashwantraoji Chavan. Swasaheb Parlekar was the first president of Satara Zilla Parishad. Today, 11 panchayat samitis and 1501 grampanchayats are working for rural areas.

In 1948, the Satara district, previously known as the Satara Province, consisted of 11 subdivisions: Bijapur (now part of Karnataka State), Jaoli, Karad, Khanapur, Khatav, Koregaon, Pandharpur, Satara, Tasgaon, Walwa, and Wai. In 1856, 12 new mahals (administrative regions) were established.

In 1947, the Satara district was split into two: South Satara with its headquarters in Sangli and North Satara with its headquarters in Satara. Both of these districts were part of the Bombay State.

From 1960 onwards, the name of the North Satara district was changed to Satara, and South Satara became Sangli. During the 1961 Census, Satara district comprised 9 talukas (sub-districts) and 2 mahals, encompassing a total of 1160 villages.

Satara district has nine Municipal Councils (Nagar Parishads), which serve as the administrative bodies for medium-sized towns. These include the Satara Nagar Parishad, Mahabaleshwar Nagar Parishad, Karad Nagar Parishad, Mhaswad Nagar Parishad, Palus Nagar Parishad, Panchgani Nagar Parishad, Phaltan Nagar Parishad, Rahimatpur Nagar Parishad, and Wai Nagar Parishad.

In addition, there are eight Town Councils (Nagar Panchayats) catering to smaller towns and transitional urban areas. These are Dahiwadi Nagar Panchayat, Khandala Nagar Panchayat, Koregaon Nagar Panchayat, Lonand Nagar Panchayat, Medha Nagar Panchayat, Malkapur Nagar Panchayat, Patan Nagar Panchayat, and Waluj Nagar Panchayat.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 16 contestants from Satara out of which five contestants had criminal cases against them, with three having serious cases registered. The contestant with the highest number of criminal cases registered was from the BJP, namely Udayanraje Bhosale, the elected MP, and had four cases against them.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 49 contestants from six constituencies out of which 12 contestants had criminal cases against them, with three of the contestants having serious cases registered. The political parties, the BJP and the Baliraja Party, had the highest number of contestants with criminal cases.

From the six elected MLAs, one of them has serious criminal cases registered against him. Bhonsle Shivendrasinh Abhaysinhraje (BJP) from Satara Vidhan Sabha constituency has the highest number of criminal cases. The MLAs without any registered cases were from the Karad North & South and Patan Vidhan Sabha Constituencies.

After the Quit India movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942, the people of Satara participated in the movement actively. In the first phase of the agitation in Satara district under the Gandhian ideological program, more than a 100 meetings were held peacefully, the tricolor was hoisted in over a 100 villages, and nearly 60 village heads resigned from their positions. Besides, Forest Satyagraha was also organized to demonstrate Indian resistance to colonialism.

In the second phase, at the taluka level, on 24th August at Karad and Patan, on 3rd September at Tasgaon, and on 9th September 1942 at Vaduj in Khatav, marches were taken to Mamledar offices and the tricolor was raised in which thousands of people including peasants and students from the surrounding villages joined. Protesters faced repression by the local police, including an incident of firing at Vaduj in which 10 were killed and more than twenty were injured. Freedom fighters such as Balkoba Undalkar, Buwa Mhavshikar, and Y.B. Chavan played a crucial role in this phase.

In 1943, the third phase of the movement began with the establishment of the Prati Sarkar, or the parallel government under the leadership of Krantisinha Nana Patil. The British administrative system in the district virtually collapsed, and the Prati Sarkar ran its administration till 1946, resisting all efforts by the colonial administration to reimpose its rule.

The construction of a dam on the Wang river near Marathwadi in Satara district impacted approximately 1,800 families across nine villages, with four villages fully submerged and five partially submerged. Villagers alleged that the dam work continued without proper rehabilitation for the affected communities. In response, residents of the villages in Patan tehsil launched a jal satyagraha in mid-July 2012, refusing to leave the dam's submergence area until their demands were met. Supported by the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) and other activists, their struggle against the dam began in the summer of 2000 when Anil Shinde, a Marathwadi resident, reached out to Medha Patkar for assistance. The protest concluded in August 2012 after the villagers' demands were successfully addressed.

During the nationwide farmer protests in 2021, various regions of Maharashtra witnessed farmers uniting to oppose the three farm laws passed by the government in September 2020. On 6 February 2021, under the leadership of Satvasheela Chavan, wife of senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, farmers organized a Chakka Jam at Kolhapur Naka in Karad in Solapur blocking a busy road. As a result, they were detained by the authorities.

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 Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The community claims that the Dhangad community, 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 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 20 September 2023, a protest was held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk by the members of the community who brought in their sheep as well to block the Satara-Pune highway.

On 18 August 2023, insulting comments against Bhagwan Ram and Sita on Instagram went viral on social media. A 21-year-old Muslim resident of Pusesavali village in Satara district was accused of having made the comments. In response, the Hindu community organised a protest. Tensions raged for multiple weeks between the two communities. On 15 August and 10 September, derogatory comments on Instagram against Bhagwan Ram and the Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj went viral. Two 23-year-old Muslims and a Muslim teenager from the village were accused of having made the comments. Youth from the Hindu community attacked mosques and Muslim owned shops in Pusesavali on 10 September when the post cited above went viral. Thirty one-year-old Nurul Hasan Shikalgar, an engineer & businessman, was at one of the mosques attacked and died from wounds to the head. Ten other people were injured and 23 were arrested.