Maharashtra is India's third largest state by area and has over 112 million inhabitants. Its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million; Nagpur is Maharashtra's second, or winter, capital.[1] Government in the state is organized on the parliamentary system. Power is devolved to large city councils, district councils (zilla parishad), subdistrict (taluka) councils, and village parish councils (gram panchayat). The numerically strong Maratha–Kunbi community dominates the state's politics. The state has national and regional parties serving different demographics, such as those based on religion, caste, and urban and rural residents.
The Congress party dominated state politics for many years after the formation of the state in 1960. In recent decades,however, splits within the Congress party, and the rise of Shiv Sena and the BJP has made politics of the state more competitive. Like in other states of India, Maharashtra also has political families dominating their respective areas, and not averse to switching parties if that maintains their power.
The politics of the state in the last five years has seen long term alliances breaking up like that of undivided Shivsena and BJP, new ones being formed between Congress, NCP, and the Shivsena, regional parties like the Shivsena and NCP splitting up, and majority of their legislators joining a new alliance government with the BJP.