NCP delegation meets Maharashtra governor on Maratha quota demand

Mumbai: A delegation of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) on Sunday met Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais urging him to direct the state government to intervene in the quota agitation by the Maratha community.

The delegation comprised NCP working president Supriya Sule, state NCP chief Jayant Patil, and party leader Jitendra Awhad.

Jayant Patil said leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will meet the governor again on Monday.

"We demand that the Maratha community be given reservation at the earliest. The Governor must speak to the state and central governments in this regard. We urged the Governor to communicate with the Centre about the situation. There are many committees set up but no firm decision has been taken," Patil posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Maratha community has been staging protests seeking reservation in the government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

The agitation intensified after quota activist Manoj Jarange sat on an indefinite fast from October 25 as part of the second phase of the protest. On his appeal, many villages have banned the entry of political leaders. Jarange has announced that fast-unto-death protests will begin in villages across Maharashtra from Sunday if the state government fails to act on the pending demand of the Maratha community.

The Maharashtra government's stated position is that it is committed to granting the reservation to the Maratha community which stands legal scrutiny.