Manoj Jarange, who was on hunger strike since August 29 demanding Maratha reservation, ended his agitation on Thursday. He has given 90 days to the Maharashtra government to act on the demands. Warned of agitation again in Mumbai if demands are not met.
Jalna: Activist Manoj Jarange, who was agitating for Maratha reservation, ended his 20-day hunger strike on Thursday. They have given 90 days time to the Maharashtra government to consider and act on their demands. Jarange said that if the demands are not met within the stipulated period, he will start the agitation again in Mumbai.
Started hunger strike on 29th August
Manoj Jarange had started a hunger strike on August 29 from Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district. Their main issue is to provide reservation to the Maratha community under the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota on the basis of Kunbi lineage.
Jarange had also placed many other demands before the government. These included recognition of Hyderabad, Satara and Aundh Gazettes and issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas on the basis of old government records and documents.
He has been saying that on the basis of old records, eligible Maratha families will get the benefit of OBC reservation by getting Kunbi certificate. Regarding these demands, they put pressure on the government to speed up action.
Started Mumbai march on 15th September
After the demands were not heard as expected, Jarange started the march to Mumbai on 15 September. However, his health deteriorated after reaching Patoda in Beed district the next day. After this he stopped the march.
According to doctors, his blood pressure and blood sugar had gone down significantly due to the prolonged hunger strike. He also had the problem of dehydration. In view of the health situation, talks began on the next step of the movement.
Before leaving for Mumbai from Jalna on September 15, Jarange had paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The movement ended after talks with the government delegation.
The decision to end the hunger strike was taken after a meeting with the Maharashtra government delegation in Patoda. The delegation included Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Dada Bhuse, MLC Prasad Lad, MLA Suresh Dhas and senior officials.
In the meeting, Jarange was informed by the government about the work started so far on the demands related to Maratha reservation. After this, Jarange agreed to give 90 days time to the government to further process his demands.
Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that after receiving the written opinion of the Advocate General in the cases related to Satara and Kolhapur Gazette, further action may take about 3 to 4 months.
Vikhe Patil also asked to appoint three representatives from Jarange. These representatives will be able to keep an eye on the progress of the action being taken by the government.
Government claims- action on 12 out of 13 demands
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government has taken action on 12 out of 13 legally valid demands of the Maratha protesters. The government had also raised questions about the timing of the agitation, as it was taking place during the Ganesh Utsav.
Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had appealed to Jarange to end the agitation. He had said that the government is ready for talks and the issues can be taken forward through discussion.
Minister Ashish Shelar had also appealed to Jarange to take care of his health and postpone the protest during Ganesh Utsav. After talks between the government and Jaranga, the way was cleared to stop the movement for 90 days.
What is the issue of Maratha reservation movement?
Maratha reservation is a long-standing issue related to the politics and social policy of Maharashtra. The main demand of Jarange is related to the inclusion of eligible people of Maratha community in OBC category on the basis of Kunbi certificate.
The basis of this demand is old records and genealogical documents. Jarange's movement has been focused on the demand to speed up this process and provide certificates to the eligible Maratha families. Apart from this, the demand for recognition of Hyderabad, Satara and Aundh Gazettes and issuance of Kunbi certificate on the basis of old records has also been an important part of the movement.
There was a big movement in Mumbai even in 2025
Manoj Jarange also went on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in August-September 2025. At that time a large number of his supporters had reached Mumbai. This affected traffic and normal activities in South Mumbai.
The movement was ended on 2 September 2025 after the government accepted 6 out of 8 demands of Jaranga during the 2025 movement and started the process of Kunbi Classification Certificate.
After the movement started once again in 2026, the issue of Maratha reservation remained at the center of discussion in the state. This time Jaranga has given 90 days time to the government after 20 days of hunger strike.
Now the government has a deadline of 90 days
After the end of the hunger strike, the government now has the responsibility of taking further action on the demands of Jaranga. Especially in the cases related to Satara and Kolhapur Gazette, the opinion of the Advocate General and the subsequent process will be monitored.
Jarange has made it clear that if expected action is not taken on his demands within a period of 90 days, he will protest again in Mumbai. In such a situation, the government's action and legal and administrative decisions related to Maratha reservation in the coming months will decide the direction of this issue.