Now Reading: Maratha quota stir widens OBC backlash in Maharashtra
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Maratha quota stir widens OBC backlash in Maharashtra
A new wave of Maratha reservation protests in Maharashtra has triggered a sharp backlash from Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups, who warn the move would encroach on their existing quota share. Agitators…
A new wave of Maratha reservation protests in Maharashtra has triggered a sharp backlash from Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups, who warn the move would encroach on their existing quota share. Agitators led by Manoj Jarange Patil are demanding that Marathas be classified as a backward community, a step the state government has not yet approved.
OBC leaders argue that granting reservations to the Maratha community, which makes up an estimated 16% of the state population, would reduce the quota pie available to groups already classified as backward. The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government's attempt to grant Maratha quota was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2021 for exceeding the 50% cap. The current Eknath Shinde administration has set up a commission to examine the demand but is yet to introduce a bill.
The issue is politically charged ahead of local body elections, with both ruling and opposition parties trying to balance Maratha aspirations and OBC anxieties. Activist Jarange Patil has threatened to escalate protests if no timeline is set for a decision.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Maratha quota agitation, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, hinges on a legal tightrope: the Supreme Court's 1992 Indra Sawhney judgement capped reservation at 50%, and any addition for Marathas would likely exceed that limit unless the Centre carves out a new constitutional category. The OBC groups opposing the stir hold about 27% of existing quota seats in Maharashtra, and their fear is that Maratha inclusion, estimated at 16% of the state's population, would eat into their share. The state government has formed a backward-class commission to study the demand, but its report has no fixed deadline. Watch for the commission's findings and any legal challenge to the final reservation notification, which would likely land before the Bombay High Court.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
