Maratha Quota Crisis Escalates Amid Government Scrutiny, Calls for Constitutional Amendment

The ongoing Maratha reservation agitation in Maharashtra, led by activist Manoj Jarange demanding a 10% quota by classifying Marathas as Kunbis under the OBC category, has exposed governmental delays and challenges. Congress leader Sachin Sawant criticized the Mahayuti government for its slow response and warned of potential financial disruptions if protests continue without resolution. Sharad Pawar emphasized that resolving the Maratha quota issue requires a constitutional amendment in Parliament and called for a uniform reservation policy, highlighting the Supreme Court's 50% reservation ceiling and the example of Tamil Nadu's higher quota. Legal experts concur that any additional quota for Marathas must overcome the Supreme Court's cap through constitutional amendments and central legislation defining empirical criteria, noting the complexity due to varying regional social backwardness and the need for updated census data, which has been pending since 2011. The debate reflects deeper social and political tensions involving reservation policies and the distribution of federal powers between the Centre and states. Meanwhile, unrelated discussions on Nigeria's quota system and regional appeasement were not included as they do not pertain to the Maratha reservation issue in Maharashtra.