2012: The year Maharashtra lost Bal Thackeray

The strain in ties was highlighted after resignation of Ajit Pawar in the wake of Chavan promising a white paper on the alleged irrigation scam.

In June, a massive fire broke out in Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, claiming five lives and destroying several documents. An audit report had said safety norms were violated and fire extinguishers and alarms in the building were not working.

The much-awaited announcement by the Centre to transfer the Indu Mill land in Mumbai for constructing a memorial to B R Ambedkar, was made a day before the death anniversary of the architect of the Constitution.

The development led to a race among political parties and leaders to claim credit, and several Dalit leaders sought to make the most of the significant decision. Ambedkar's ashes are interred at Chaityabhoomi, situated in the vicinity of the 12.5 acre land of the Indu Mill. Dalit groups had set Ambedkar's death anniversary as the deadline for the announcement, threatening to forcibly occupy the mill premises if this was not done.

A year after hogging national limelight, Anna Hazare spent 2012 concentrating on issues closer home, be it the opposition to toll tax or backing farmers issues in the state.