Mumbai : As the Maharashtra was celebrating its formation day on Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister of Ajit Pawar on Sunday regreats as a few Marathi speaking places remained in Karnataka.

Addressing a public meeting he said “On this Maharashtra Day, we still regret that several Marathi-speaking villages at the state border including Belgaum, Nipai and Karwar couldn’t be part of the state yet. I assure you we’ll keep supporting the fight by the people of these villages to become a part of Maharashtra,” the 62-year-old leader was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The state claims certain areas, including Belgaum, Karwar and Nippan that are a part of Karnataka, saying that a majority of the population here speaks Marathi. Karnataka, however, has made counterclaims saying the areas are an integral part of the state.

The leaders of the two states have often sparred over the matter. In December, strict curbs were put in place in Belgavi, earlier known as Belgaum, after violence – linked to the controversy – was reported.

The Shiv Sena, one of the three ruling coalition partners in Maharashtra, has demanded in the past that the border district should be declared a union territory by the centre, alleging that the Marathi-speaking population has faced atrocities. “If the atrocities are not going to stop, then the Centre should declare Belgaum as a Union Territory,” an article in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, said last year.

Meanwhile, as Maharashtra celebrates its formations, six decades after the Bombay Re-organisation Act came into force, tensions are expected as MNS chief Raj Thackeray plans to hold a gathering in Aurangabad.