THANE

The region now known as the Thane district became part of British India in 1817, when the British acquired it from the Peshwa. Initially, it was incorporated into the North Konkan district, with its headquarters at Thana. In 1830, North Konkan was expanded by merging parts of the South Konkan district, and in 1833, it was officially renamed Thane District.

Significant administrative changes followed over the next century. In 1853, the subdivisions of Pen, Roha, and Mahad, along with the Underi and Revadanda agencies of Kolaba, were grouped into the sub-collectorate of Kolaba under Thana. This region was later separated to form the independent Kolaba district (now Raigad) in 1869.

After Independence, the princely state of Jawhar was merged into the Thane district in 1949 and established as a separate taluka. Further territorial adjustments occurred in 1956 when twenty-seven villages and eight towns from Borivali taluka, along with one town and one village from Thana taluka, were incorporated into the Bombay Suburban district due to the northward expansion of Greater Bombay into Salsette Island.

Following the formation of Maharashtra in 1960, the Umbargaon taluka underwent reorganization. Forty-seven villages and three towns were transferred to Surat district in Gujarat, while the remaining twenty-seven villages were included in Dahanu taluka, and later, in 1961, carved out as a separate mahal, Talasari.

On 1 August 2014, the state of Maharashtra created its 36th district, Palghar, by carving it out of the northern part of Thane district, marking the most recent territorial reconfiguration of the region.

The Thane district is composed of three Lok Sabha constituencies: Bhiwandi, Kalyan, and Thane. Each of these constituencies is further divided into six Vidhan Sabha segments, resulting in a total of 18 Vidhan Sabha constituencies within the Thane district.

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

The given chart provides an overview of the changes that have occurred in the composition of the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha constituencies of the Thane district. Notably, in the third delimitation round, the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency was dissolved, and the Thane Lok Sabha constituency was formed. Lastly, in the most recent round of delimitation, the Dahanu Lok Sabha constituency was dissolved, the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency was formed, and the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency was re-established. Alongside, numerous Vidhan Sabha constituencies were created.

(Note: The delimitation records for the first committee (1952) are not available; hence, the distribution of the constituencies before 1967 is unclear and has not been mentioned in this chart. Additionally, the information for the second delimitation is based on the proposed changes made by the committee, as that was the latest file available from that period.)

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

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

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

Eknath Shinde (SHS) is the current Guardian Minister for Thane district, as of 2024.

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

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

There are 11 Urban Local Bodies in the Thane District: 6 Mahanagar Palika, 7 Nagar Parishad, and 1 Nagar Panchayat. There are 704 Gram Panchayats and 5 Panchayat Samitis.

Thane Zilla Parishad was established on 1 October 1982 and currently has 54 members. It is worth noting that in 1972, Tarabai Vartak, representing INC, became the first woman in India to hold the position of Zila Parishad Chief when she was elected as the President of Thane Zila Parishad. Over the years, the Zilla Parishad has primarily been dominated by the BJP, INC, or NCP. The 2018 elections were the first instance in which Shiv Sena managed to win the presidency of the Zilla Parishad.  

Thane District has six Municipal Corporations: Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, and Bhiwandi-Nizampur.

The Thane Municipal Corporation was established in 1982 and currently comprises 131 seats. Before gaining Municipal Corporation status, it functioned as a Municipal Council, with Vasant Marathe serving as its first chairman. Since its formation, political control has largely oscillated between the BJP and the SHS. In the most recent election held in 2017, the SHS secured a majority, winning 51% of the seats.

The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation came into existence in February 2002 and has 96 seats. Much like in Thane, political control has primarily alternated between the BJP and the SHS. In the 2017 elections, the BJP emerged as the dominant party, winning 65 of the total seats.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation was formally constituted on 1 January 1992 and currently has 111 seats. Political power in this body has historically shifted between the NCP and the SHS. In the 2017 elections, the NCP secured a clear majority, winning over 50% of the seats.

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, also established on 1 January 1982, currently holds 133 seats. Like other corporations in the region, it has seen political dominance by the BJP and the SHS. In the 2017 elections, the SHS won over half of the total seats. The elections also marked the rise of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which won four seats and emerged as a new political player in the corporation.

The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation was set up in 2002, although the area’s administrative roots trace back to its establishment as a military transit camp during World War II, meant to house around 6,000 soldiers and 30,000 civilians. The corporation presently includes 78 seats. The INC and the BJP have traditionally been the main contenders here. In 2017, the INC won 47 seats, while smaller parties like the Samajwadi Party also managed to gain a foothold.

The Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation was formed in 2002 and currently has 90 seats. Political control has largely shifted between the INC and the SHS. In the 2017 elections, the INC secured 47 seats, while the Samajwadi Party also made significant gains in the area.

Thane district has several municipal councils (Nagar Parishads) that serve as urban local governance bodies. These include Ambernath Nagar Parishad, Dahanu Nagar Parishad, and Badlapur Nagar Parishad.

The district also has two Nagar Panchayats or town councils, which function as local administrative units in semi-urban areas. These are the Murbad Nagar Panchayat and the Shahapur Nagar Panchayat.  

Thane district has several Panchayat Samitis that operate as intermediate-level rural local governance bodies within the zilla parishad system. These include the Ambernath Panchayat Samiti, Murbad Panchayat Samiti, Kalyan Panchayat Samiti, Bhiwandi Panchayat Samiti, and Shahapur Panchayat Samiti.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 79 candidates from Thane district (28 from Kalyan, 24 from Thane, and 27 from Bhiwandi). Out of these, 16 candidates had criminal cases against them, with six of them having serious cases registered. The elected MPs of Kalyan and Bhiwandi had no criminal cases registered against them, while the elected MP from Thane had two cases registered against him.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 184 candidates from Thane. Out of these, 77 candidates had criminal cases against them, with around 75% of the 77 candidates having serious cases registered. The political parties, NCP and SHS, had the highest number of candidates with criminal cases. The only constituencies with candidates without criminal cases were Bhiwandi Rural (ST) and Mira Bhayandar.

The 1970 Bhiwandi riots were religious riots that occurred between 7th and 8th May in the Indian towns of Bhiwandi, Jalgaon, and Mahad, between Hindus and Muslims. The riots caused the deaths of over 250 people. According to the Justice Madon commission, 142 Muslims and 20 Hindus had been killed in Bhiwandi alone, and 50 Muslims and 17 Hindus in the surrounding areas.

There had been a prolonged period of tension between Indian Nationalist groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and Shiv Sena, and the Muslim radical groups Jamaat-i-Islami, the Muslim League, and Majlis Tameer-e-Millat. The Rashtriya Utsav Mandal had campaigned for permission to have a procession to celebrate the birthday of the Maratha warrior-king Shivaji, which would pass through an area where the residents were predominantly Muslims, and by a mosque. Permission was given over the protests of Muslim leaders, and on 7 May, the procession began. The procession was organised by Shiv Sena and supporters of the Hindu right, who, it was reported, arrived armed with lathis. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people had travelled from villages close to Bhiwandi, and once the procession began, some Muslims threw stones, which triggered the violence. Once the violence began, the police opened fire several times. An indefinite curfew was declared by the police at 10:00 p.m. that night.

On 17 March 2009, an accident between a car and an autorickshaw near Saraswati School led to a communal riot. There were conflicting reports about how the accident escalated into a communal riot, but the police claimed that clashes broke out after the car's owner, Mohan Deodhar, sought help from a couple of youths from the area to pin down the autorickshaw driver. Another group, presumably Muslims, sided with the auto driver, and the argument turned into a fistfight and subsequent clashes. Deodhar, however, refuted these claims. Nonetheless, the clashes that ensued left 26 people injured, including 18 policemen, and also resulted in damage to property and vehicles. Thirty-nine people were arrested for rioting, and 14 others were held as a preventive measure.

On 22 January 2024, Naya Nagar was gripped in tension after a mob of around 50 people forcibly stopped and vandalized some vehicles carrying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ flags when they were passing through the locality. The Mira Road police arrested 21 people in connection with the incident. It was also reported that unidentified persons vandalised some shops in Kashimira, Naya Nagar, and Navghar areas.