YAVATMAL

Formerly known as "Yeoti" or "Yeotmal," the region of present-day Yavatmal district was historically part of the Berar region. It served as a key town of the Berar Sultanate and was once described in old records as "the safest place in the world." Earlier referred to as the Wani region of Berar, it was renamed Yavatmal in 1905. After India’s independence, the Berar region, including Yavatmal, became part of the then-state of Madhya Pradesh in 1950. In 1956, the Marathi-speaking areas of Madhya Pradesh were merged into Bombay State. Following the Bombay Reorganisation Act of 1960, Bombay State was divided into Gujarat and Maharashtra, and Yavatmal became a part of Maharashtra.

The Yavatmal district consists of the Yavatmal-Washim Lok Sabha constituency, which includes six Vidhan Sabha segments: Washim, Karanja, Ralegaon, Yavatmal, Digras, and Pusad. Washim and Karanja among the Vidhan Sabha segments are situated outside the Yavatmal district. Along with these, segments of Chandrapur and Hingoli Lok Sabha constituencies fall in this district, too.

Within the Vidhan Parishad, the Yavatmal District is represented by Yavatmal Local Bodies Authorities Constituency, the Amravati Teachers’ Constituency, and the Amravati Graduates Constituency. The Graduates and Teachers’ Constituencies are based on the administrative divisions of Maharashtra. This chapter focuses on only the Yavatmal Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha segments that comprise it.

The given maps provide an overview of the boundaries of the Yavatmal district and the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha Constituencies that fall within and around it.

Till 2009, the district was represented by Yavatmal Lok Sabha constituency. In the latest delimitation, a new Lok Sabha constituency, Yavatmal-Washim, was constituted. The given chart provides an overview of the changes that have occurred in the composition of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the district 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 Yavatmal district in the Lok Sabha, as of 2024:

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

There is no member from the Yavatmal district currently in the Rajya Sabha representing Maharashtra.

Sanjay Rathod (SHS) is the current Guardian Minister for Yavatmal district, as of 2024.

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

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

There are 17 Urban Local Bodies in Yavatmal district: 1 Mahanagar Palika, 10 Nagar Parishad, 7 Nagar Panchayat. There are 1201 Gram Panchayats.

Yavatmal district has ten municipal councils that function as urban local bodies across various towns. These include the Arni Nagar Parishad, Darwah Nagar Parishad, Digras Nagar Parishad, Ghatanji Nagar Parishad, Ner Nababpur Nagar Parishad, Pandharkawda Nagar Parishad, Pusad Nagar Parishad, Umerkhed Nagar Parishad, Wani Nagar Parishad, and Yavatmal Nagar Parishad.

In addition to municipal councils, the district also has smaller urban bodies designated as town councils or Nagar Panchayats. These include Dhanki Nagar Panchayat, Kalamb Nagar Panchayat, Mahagaon Nagar Panchayat, and Babhulgao Nagar Panchayat.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, there were a total of 17 contestants from the Yavatmal-Washim seat. Out of these 17 candidates, there were two candidates that had criminal cases against them, with one of the contestants having serious cases registered. The contestant with the highest number of criminal cases registered was an Independent candidate. The elected MP, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, has no criminal cases against him.

In the 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, there were a total of 74 contestants from the six Vidhan Sabha seats that come under the Yavatmal-Washim Lok Sabha seat. Out of these, 14 contestants had criminal cases against them, with 35% of the contestants having serious cases registered.

Of the six elected MLAs, two of them have serious criminal cases registered against them. Rathod Sanjay Dulichand from Digras Vidhan Sabha constituency has the highest number of criminal cases. The only MLA without any registered cases is Lakhan Sahadeo Malik from Washim (SC) Vidhan Sabha Constituency.

In September-November 2023, several districts in Marathwada experienced the impact of state-wide protests led by Jarange Patil, demanding reservation for the Maratha community. In the Dhanki area of Yavatmal's Umarkhed, activists organised 'rasta roko' protests by blocking traffic. They tossed burning tyres on Dhanki-Umarkhed, Dhanki-Bittergaon, and Dhanki-Phulsawangi roads, triggering gridlocks. In the village of Arni town, activists observed a one-day fast, while in Sakur, they raised anti-government slogans.