Collect information about the personalities who greatly contributed to the formation of Maharashtra and prepare a project based on it.

Samyukta Maharashtra Parishad was the organization that collectively struggled for the creation of the Maharashtra state as a distinct Marathi-speaking state out of the State of Bombay with Bombay as its capital. It was created in opposition to the recommendation of creating a bi-lingual state for Gujarat and Maharashtra by the State Re-organisation Committee. It caused in wide-spread agitation and resulted in the creation of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samithi on 6 February 1956.

The organization was founded on 6 February 1956, under the leadership of Keshavarao Jedhe in Pune. Many of the Prominent activists of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti were leftists such as Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi, Shripad Amrit Dange, Narayan Ganesh Gore, and Uddhavrao Patil. Other leaders included Maina Gawankar, Walchand Kothari, Prahlad Keshav Atre, Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, Pandurang Mahadev Bapat, Bhausaheb Raut, P K Atre and Amar Shaikh.

KESHAVARAO JEDHE

Keshavrao Marutrao Jedhe was a prominent freedom fighter and Congress Leader from Pune. He was the chairman and president of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, the organization that collectively struggled for the creation of Maharashtra state as a distinct Marathi-speaking state out of the State of Bombay with Bombay as its capital.

In the second general election, the Samiti defeated the Congress by securing 101 seats out of 133. The Congress could form a government only with the support of Gujarat, Marathwada, and Vidarbha. Yashwantrao Chavan became the first Chief Minister of the bilingual Bombay State.

Keshavarao Jedhe struggled persistently for the movement, even by sacrificing the lives of several people and finally succeeded in convincing the Congress leaders that Maharashtra should have a separate state. On 1 May 1960, the state of Maharashtra, which included western Maharashtra, Vidarbha, and Marathwada was formed.

SREEDHAR MAHADEV JOSHI

Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi also known as S.M. Joshi, was an important leader of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, the organization that collectively struggled for the creation of Maharashtra state as a distinct Marathi-speaking state out of the State of Bombay with Bombay as its capital.

He worked as the secretary of the Maharashtra Youth Conference and the Mass-Contact Committee. He played a key role in the success of the movement. He was a member of the All-India Congress Socialist Party. He was also working for uplifting the Dalits in Maharashtra.

SHRIPAD AMRIT DANGE

Shripad Amrit Dange was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of Indian trade union movement. He also played an active role in the formation of a separate state of Maharashtra.

Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti was the organization that collectively struggled for the creation of Maharashtra state as a distinct Marathi-speaking state out of the State of Bombay with Bombay as its capital. In the second general election, the Samiti defeated the Congress by securing 101 seats out of 133. Dange was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1957 from Bombay City Constituency of the State of Bombay.

Dange along with S M Joshi, N G Gora, and P K Atre fought persistently in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. Finally, on 1 May 1960, the state of Maharashtra, which included western Maharashtra, Vidarbha, and Marathwada was formed.

PRAHLAD KESHAV ATRE

Prahlad Keshav Atre, popularly known as Acharya Atre, was a prominent Marathi writer, newspaper founder–editor of the newspaper Maratha and a political leader of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.

As part of the movement, P K Atre used his Maratha newspaper to criticize Nehru, Morarji Desai, and S K Patil. The Marathi press was in the advance guard of this movement and widened the pressure of the movement amongst the Maharashtrian people. Marathi newspaper played an important role unifying the people for the demand Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.

PRABODHANKAR THACKERY

Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, generally known by his pen name Prabodhankar Thackeray, was one of the key leaders of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement which successfully campaigned for the linguistic state of Maharashtra.

He joined the movement in 1951, demanding the integration of the Dang district in Maharashtra instead of Gujarat state. The movement finally succeeded in convincing the Congress leaders that Maharashtra should have a separate state. On 1 May 1960, the state of Maharashtra, which included western Maharashtra, Vidarbha, and Marathwada was formed.