Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would attend the concluding function of the platinum jubilee celebrations of Maharashtra legislature in January, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said here.
He was addressing a meeting at Vidhan Bhawan yesterday. One of the oldest bicameral legislatures, the Maharashtra legislature came into existence 75 years ago.
Although the state's geography and its demographics have changed, the state legislature celebrating its platinum jubilee stands witness to social changes and constitutional developments. In the late 1930s, Maharashtra was a small part of 'Bombay Presidency' province which also included today's Gujarat. After the Government of India Act 1935, which envisaged a federal type of government, elections were held in 1937 to form provincial governments.
At that time the Bombay Assembly had a strength of 175. Its first session was held on July 19, 1937, in Pune's Council Hall. The first session of the Upper House, the Legislative Council, was held a day later on July 20, 1937. The present Maharashtra came into being on May 1, 1960. Nagpur was named as the auxiliary capital and it was decided to hold the budget and the monsoon session of the legislature in Mumbai and the winter session in Nagpur.