For the last 62 years, Maharashtra and Karnataka politicians have sparred over their respective claims on over 865 villages, including urban areas of Belagavi, Karwar and Nippani. After every few years the State governments and politicians across the border lock horns, which often results in violence and attacks on State transport buses of both States.

The dispute has its roots in the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, based on which States were recognised along linguistic lines. But the BJP’s union leadership might find its own way to settle this dispute — by carving out a new State. The BJP has always supported smaller States and in 2014 the party made its intentions clear in this regard. The party is confident of bouncing back to power in 2024 and is gearing up for execution of the smaller States plan.

Ahead of the State elections in Karnataka and Maharashtra next year, the border dispute has once again been raked up by politicos. Interestingly, BJP rules Karnataka and has complete control over the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra. On Thursday, the Karnataka government formally declared truce, soon after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both from the BJP, exchanged heated words. Clearly, such sparring goes against the BJP’s nationalist outlook.

It is not surprising that Karnataka Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Umesh Katti, while speaking recently in Belagavi, said that North Karnataka will become a new State and the number of States will rise to 50 after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as the Prime Minister wants to create these new States.

For good measure, he hinted that Belagavi might be the capital of the new State as it already has the Suvarna Soudha and the Dharwad High Court Bench. Once the new State is carved out Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi would be happy to live in the capital of the new State. Once this is done, the BJP could go ahead with its plan to create Vidarbha State.

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