The ongoing Maratha quota demand in Maharashtra has once again brought attention to the complex politics surrounding reservation. On Monday morning, pro-Maratha quota protesters vandalized and set fire to the home of Maharashtra lawmaker Prakash Solanke in Beed district. They also targeted an office of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), leading to increased security measures in Beed and other parts of the Marathwada region.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who chaired an all-party meeting to address the protests, expressed the Maharashtra government’s support for the Maratha quota. He emphasized that reservation should be given to the Maratha community without affecting the existing quotas for other communities in the state. The meeting, attended by senior politicians such as Sharad Pawar and Ashok Chavan, passed a unanimous resolution to improve law and order in the state.
However, the demand for Maratha reservations is not a recent development. It has been an ongoing issue for the past four decades. Marathas, who make up nearly 33% of the state’s population, have been demanding reservation in education and government jobs. The first protests for Maratha reservation took place in 1981, led by Mathadi Labour Union leader Annasaheb Patil.
In 2014, when the Congress was in power in the state, the government introduced an ordinance granting 16% reservation to Marathas. In 2018, the Maharashtra government approved the Maratha quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act.
In June 2019, the Bombay High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Maratha quota but reduced it to 12% in education and 13% in government jobs. However, two years later, the Supreme Court struck down the provisions of Maharashtra law providing reservation to the Maratha community, citing violation of the 50% quota limit. In 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections, and in April 2023, the court rejected Maharashtra government’s review plea.
In response to the recent protests, former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called for the central government to address the Maratha reservation issue by convening a special session of Parliament.
