OBCs start parallel stir against Maratha quota demand

On Saturday, OBC leaders said that they would lead a morcha towards Mumbai akin to Jarange-Patil in a fortnight’s time

Published on: Aug 31, 2025, 05:44:05 IST

By Faisal Malik

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Mumbai: A day after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil began an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai seeking blanket reservation for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, OBC activists on Saturday started a chain hunger strike in Nagpur to defend their 27% quota.

OBCs start parallel stir against Maratha quota demand

Hundreds of OBC activists gathered at the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur on Saturday morning to take part in the chain hunger strike as OBC leaders declared that they would continue with the protest until the state government assured them that Marathas would not be accommodated within the OBC quota.

“We do not oppose reservation for Marathas. But when they seek it from our quota, we will have to defend our rights,” said Babanrao Taywade, president of the National OBC Mahasangh.

None of the seven commissions which were formed following demands of reservation from Marathas had recommended the same, he alleged. “Hence they are trying to seek reservation through the back door,” he claimed.

In Maharashtra, the OBC quota is availed by 382 sub-castes and OBCs fear that inclusion of Marathas’ within the category would further shrink their prospects.

On Saturday, OBC leaders said that they would lead a morcha towards Mumbai akin to Jarange-Patil in a fortnight’s time. A statewide campaign would be started soon to create awareness among OBCs and consolidate them for the march to Mumbai, they noted.

Various OBC groups had started a parallel agitation against the Marathas last year, when Jarange-Patil led a morcha from Jalna to Mumbai and then chief minister Eknath Shinde assured that Kunbi certificates would be issued to all 57 lakh Marathas with Kunbi antecedents. A draft notification to this effect was also issued by the state social justice department but was not implemented under pressure from the OBCs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faisal Malik
Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.Read More

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