Mahayuti govt offers sops to Agari community

The Mahayuti government plans economic development corporations for the Agari and Maratha communities to boost support ahead of assembly polls.

MUMBAI: The Mahayuti government on Monday decided to set up an economic development corporation for the Agari community, which is a part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), and has presence in over 18 assembly constituencies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Alongside, it also appointed a study group that will look into the formation of the Annasaheb Jawale Marathwada Development Corporation, to woo a section of Maratha community in the Marathwada region.

Mahayuti govt offers sops to Agari community

Over the past few days, the ruling government has announced over a dozen economic development corporations to help community members get aid to set up small businesses.

Ahead of the assembly polls, through these announcements, the alliance is targeting several smaller castes.

Members of the Agari community live in Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts as well as parts of Mumbai and Nashik. At one time, the community supported the Congress, until the Shiv Sena made inroads in it.

It plays a crucial role in civic politics of Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivli, Ambernath-Badlapur, Bhiwandi and Murbad in Thane district.

Meanwhile, with an eye on votes in Marathwada, the cabinet decided on the Annasaheb Jawale Marathwada Development Corporation. Marathas in Marathwada region voted largely against the ruling alliance in recent Lok Sabha election. It could win only one out of eight seats in the region.

Late Annasaheb Jawale was a Maratha activist who fought for the Maratha reservation through his organisation Akhil Bhartiya Chava Maratha Yuwa Sangathan, in the first decade of 2000. Activists in Maratha reservation movement from the community have an emotional connect with his name.