Government of Maharashtra

The Government of Maharashtra is the government for the state of Maharashtra in Western India. It is an elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a bicameral legislature i.e. it consists of two houses: Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) and Vidhan Parishad (legislative council). As is the case in a parliamentary system, the government is formed by the party, alliance or group of assembly members who command the majority. The leader of the majority in assembly becomes the Chief Minister and selects the cabinet members. From the formation of the state in 1960, the Congress party or Congress-led alliance have ruled the state for the major part. Non-Congress government was first formed in 1978, then in 1995 with Shivsena-BJP alliance, and most recently in 2014 with a BJP-led alliance.

Ministers

As of 6 December 2014, the government of Maharashtra consisted of 18 cabinet ministers and 12 ministers of state.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra (/mɑːhəˈrɑːʃtrə/; Marathi pronunciation: locally: [məharaːʂʈrə], abbr. MH) is a state in the western region of India and is the nation's third largest state by area and is also the world's second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 110 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million. Nagpur serves as second capital as well as winter capital of the state. Maharashtra's business opportunities along with its potential to offer a higher standard of living attract migrants from all over India.

Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals and Marathas. Spread over 118,809 sq mi (307,710 km²), it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The major rivers of the state are Godavari, Krishna, Narmada and Tapi. The state has several tourist destinations including the popular Hindu places of pilgrimage, Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi. Other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, and Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi. Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India, after Tamil Nadu, with large cities besides the capital Mumbai such as Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad.