Maharashtra /mɑːhəˈrɑːʃtrə/ (Marathi: महाराष्ट् mahārāṣṭra [məharaːʂʈrə] ( listen)) is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the richest state in India, contributing 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP (2006–2007 figures).

Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km² (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is India's largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Nagpur is the second capital of the state. Marathi is the official language.

Maharashtra is the world's second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its own right, Maharashtra would be the world's tenth most populous country ahead of Mexico.

Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi: राज श्रीकांत ठाकरे) (born 14 June 1968) is the founder and president of the right-wing^{[citation needed]}Marathi ethnocentric regional political party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ("Maharashtra Reformation Army") in the state of Maharashtra, India. His official name is Swararaj which means the king of musical notes. He is the nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, and a cousin of the current Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray.

Raj was born on 14 June 1968 in a Marathi Kayastha (CKP) family to Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray). Raj’s father Shrikant Thackeray was a musician, cartoonist and was also well versed in Urdu. He studied in Balmohan Vidyamandir, Mumbai and graduated from the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art, Mumbai. As a child he is said to have learnt the tabla, the guitar and the violin. He also loved drawing which later turned into a passion for drawing cartoons.

Amit Shah (born 1964) is a Indian politician and former Home minister from Gujarat, member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is currently under judicial bail as one of the accused for kidnapping and encounter killing by the State Police of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, an alleged terrorist with more than 60 criminal cases against him, his wife Kauserbi and their friend Tulsiram Prajapati. The Supreme Court has directed that while his bail is under challenge, he is not permitted to enter his home state of Gujarat where he may influence the investigations as he was the Home Minister during the encounter killing. There has been questions raised about this Supreme Court ruling and if it was part of a Political witch hunt

Shah's father, Anilchandra Shah was a wealthy businessman. Shah worked as a stockbroker for some time. During this period he joined the BJP and came close to L K Advani. He managed several of Advani's election campaigns from the Gandhinagar (Lok Sabha constituency). He was then appointed Chairman of The Gujarat State Finance Corporation Limited, the youngest person in this post. He was later appointed chairman of the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank.

Asaduddin Owaisi (born (1969-05-13)May 13, 1969 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India) is a Barrister, Indian politician and President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Since 2008. He is a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Hyderabad constituency in Lok Sabha Lower House of the Indian Parliament Since 2004.

Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, is also known as “Naqeeb-e-Millat”

Asaduddin Owaisi was Born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, an Indian politician and Member of Parliament from Hyderabad, for six consecutive terms until stepping down in 2004 in favour of his elder son. His education was from Hyderabad Public School and subsequently did his Intermediate (A' Levels) from St. Mary's Junior College, Hyderabad. He graduated with B.A. from Nizam College, Osmania University, then LL.B (London), and Barrister-at-Law (Lincolns Inn), England.

Son of late Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, a dynamic leader in his heyday, Asaduddin Owaisi evinced interest in politics right from his student days. He is the president of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimmen (AIMIM) and took up the party responsibilities after the death of his father in 2008, playing key role in the politics of Andhra Pradesh, through running All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen as strong as his father and maintaining strong hold in Hyderabad. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has had a successful run in and around Hyderabad under his leadership and strengthened it through attracting more youth into the party fold.