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Why is May 1 celebrated as Maharashtra Day?
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Maharashtra
Ajanta Caves in north-central Maharashtra state, India.
May 1 is celebrated as Maharashtra Day to commemorate the official formation of the state of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960.12
Following the States Reorganization Act of 1956, the state of Bombay remained linguistically divided, with Gujarati-speaking populations primarily in the north and Marathi-speaking populations in the south. Persistent demands from these groups to reorganize the state along linguistic lines led to protests and the eventual division of the territory. Consequently, the state was bifurcated into Gujarat in the north and the newly renamed Maharashtra in the south, with Bombay serving as the capital of the latter.132