Reservation compounding into a major issue ahead of 2024 polls

Amid demand for quota from various communities in Maharashtra, reservation is snowballing into a major issue in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls. 

This comes as a major challenge to the Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led parent group of NCP, are mounting pressure on the dispensation that has already faced the rough weather this month because of lathicharge on a group of protesters demanding Maratha reservation. 

Of the total 52 per cent reservation in the state, SCs and STs account for 13 and 7 per cent respectively, OBCs get 19 per cent, Vimukta Jati & Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), Special Backward Class and Nomadic Tribes account for 13 per cent.

Notably, the Supreme Court had struck down the Maharashtra government’s move to provide reservation to Marathas under specially-created Socially and Economically Backward Class - as it was above the 50 per cent ceiling set by the court in its 1992 Indra Sawhney (Mandal Commission) judgment.

While both the Treasury and Opposition benches are unanimous that Marathas - who comprise 33 per cent of the state - should be given reservation, Jalna-based and Shivba Sanghatana founder Manoj Jarange-Patil, who had undertaken a 17-day hunger strike before the government’s assurance, is demanding that caste certificates be issued to Kunbi community in Marathwada on the basis on Nizam-era documents. This move would enable them to avail benefits of  reservations under OBC category. 

While Jarange-Patil has given 30-40 days to the government, he is continuing the agitation - and has threatened to undertake fast if the demands are not met by that time. 

Members of the Maratha royal families - Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale of Satara and Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati of Kolhapur - the two 13th descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - too favour reservations for the Maratha community. 

However, the OBC community is up in arms against any such move and is protesting in Nagpur. Cutting across party lines, politicians have joined the rally of the OBC Mahasangh in the winter capital of the state, saying that they would not allow any disturbance in the current structure of the OBC quota. 

On the other hand, the Dhangar community is demanding  reservation under ST  category instead of the current VJNT. The government has assured to form a committee to look into how other states have handled it. It may be recalled that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - when he headed the BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014-19 - had assured the change of quota. 

The Congress leadership led by state’s Working President Naseem Khan is demanding that reservation be provided to Muslims based on backwardness. The Congress-NCP Democratic Front government in 2014 had issued an ordinance whereby they gave a five per cent quota to the Muslim community and 16 per cent to Marathas. However, the BJP-Shiv Sena government -- that came to power in the state in the successive polls and ruled from 2014-19 -- enacted a law for the Marathas but scrapped the reservation given to the Muslims.