Maharashtra Assembly Unites to Grant 10% Reservation to Marathas

Mumbai: Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed the Maratha Reservation Bill, granting 10% reservation in education and government jobs. The legislation, titled the Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Bill 2024, will be reviewed after a decade. This decision follows a report by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, which surveyed nearly 2.5 crore families, highlighting the Maratha community’s social, economic, and educational challenges.

The Maratha community constitutes 28% of Maharashtra’s population, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde affirming the bill’s enactment after a special assembly session. The urgency arose from activist Manoj Jarange’s hunger strike, demanding a legislative session on the Maratha quota issue.

The bill aims to address Maratha community’s economic struggles, as 21.22% of families are below the poverty line. Notably, 94% of farmer suicides in Maharashtra involve Maratha families. Despite legal challenges in the past, political pressure and protests have sustained efforts to secure reservations for Marathas.

Jarange expressed dissatisfaction, preferring reservation within the OBC category. The government’s draft notification allowing Marathas to claim Kunbi community affiliation has stirred debate within the community.