Maratha reservation back on agenda as Sena factions woo community

With eye on elections, Uddhav faction has formed alliance with Sambhaji Brigade, while ruling coalition has also reached out to community leaders

The issue of reservations for Marathas has been reignited with the two factions of the Shiv Sena attempting to outdo each other in their efforts to woo the community. The matter was put on the back burner amid the political tussle in the state after the rebellion within the party forced a change in government.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction took the lead on this matter late last month, when it announced an electoral tie-up with the Sambhaji Brigade for the upcoming state elections. The Brigade is an advocate for reservations for Maratha youth in education and employment and is part of the Maratha Seva Sang.

The ruling coalition was not far behind. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting with several Maratha leaders to discuss the issues of reservations.

Sambhaji Raje, former Rajya Sabha MP, in a presser after the meeting said, “They heard our points on the matter and gave positive feedback; we advised a quick committee formation on this, too”.

What has given the matter urgency is the impending local body election polls in the state. However, all the political parties in the state appear to also be preparing for state and national elections.

On reservation, legislator and spokesperson for the Uddhav faction, Manisha Kayande, said: “This issue is and has been essential to the Shiv Sena. The last government [MVA] and Uddhav Thackeray did whatever was possible for this issue. But the matter is in the court, and there are groups that are opposing it.”

The Sena believes that the tie-up might benefit them in the Western Vidarbha and Marathwada region. Marathas, a majority of whom are peasants, are a politically dominant force, and 12 out of 20 Maharashtra chief ministers have belonged to the community, including CM Shinde.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, has played down the Sena-Brigade tie-up. BJP Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, said: “Devendra Fadnavis was the one who was instrumental in getting them [Marathas] reservation in the Bombay High Court, but the MVA government failed to represent the community well before the Supreme Court. It’s the BJP who has always backed the call for Maratha’s welfare.”

Analysts differ

Balasaheb Sarate, an expert on Maratha politics and reservation, says that the alliance might prove detrimental for the Shiv Sena. “Shiv Sena has always been a follower of Hindutva, and coming together with the Brigade, which is anti-Brahmanical to its core, will only make them look like they have compromised on their ideology for votes,” said Sarate.

Academic Suhas Palshikar, said that the Shiv Sena’s Hindutva has been fluid and never really Brahmanical like that of RSS. So, there is no clash.

More than breathing new life into the reservation issue, Palshikar said the alliance paves the way for the Brigade to enter electoral politics. For the Sena, this alliance counters the importance of Shinde, he added. After the split, the Thackeray faction is in dire need of support and acceptability on the ground, and this alliance is an effort in that direction.

History

In 2017, the BJP-SS government constituted a commission, headed by Justice MG Gaikwad to study the social, financial, and educational status of the Maratha community. It suggested classifying Marathas as a socially and educationally backward class. Following this, the state Assembly passed a bill granting 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the community.

Though the Bombay High Court upheld the constitutionality of the law, reducing the reservation to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in jobs, the Supreme Court struck it down, stating that the 50 per cent limit on reservations should not be relooked at.