Maharashtra Bandh Called for August 24, 2025, Over Maratha Reservation Issue Amid Legal and Political Tensions
Mumbai, Maharashtra – August 23, 2025 – The Maratha Reservation Action Committee, backed by prominent Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil and supported by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, has called for a statewide bandh in Maharashtra on August 24, 2025, to demand reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. The announcement, reported by India TV News and Hindustan Times, comes amidst ongoing legal battles over the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2024, which grants a 10% quota to Marathas but faces challenges in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court. The bandh, set to disrupt bus and train services until 2 p.m., highlights deep-seated tensions over caste-based reservations and could significantly impact the state’s socio-political landscape ahead of the November 2025 assembly elections.
Background of the Maratha Reservation Issue
The Maratha community, constituting nearly 28–33% of Maharashtra’s population, has long demanded inclusion in reservation policies to address socio-economic backwardness, particularly in rural areas where agriculture distress and land fragmentation have hit hard. The Maharashtra State Reservation for SEBC Act, 2024, passed unanimously in February 2024, grants Marathas a 10% quota in education and public employment, classifying them as a Socially and Educationally Backward Class under Article 342A(3) of the Indian Constitution. This pushes Maharashtra’s total reservation to 62%, breaching the Supreme Court’s 50% cap set in the 1992 Indira Sawhney judgment, which allows exceptions only under “exceptional circumstances.”
The 2024 Act, based on the Shukre Commission’s findings, cites rising girl child marriages, a decline in government job representation, and 94% of farmer suicides in the state involving Marathas as evidence of their backwardness. However, the law faces legal scrutiny, with the Bombay High Court resuming hearings in May 2025 and the Supreme Court set to hear a challenge in July 2025. Critics argue that the Act lacks sufficient empirical data to justify breaching the 50% cap, echoing the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling that struck down a similar 16% Maratha quota under the 2018 SEBC Act.
The Bandh Call and Political Support
The Maratha Reservation Action Committee, led by activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, announced the bandh to press the state government for a legally sustainable quota and to protest delays in implementation. Jarange-Patil, who has led hunger strikes and protests since 2023, demands that Marathas be recognized as Kunbis, an agrarian sub-caste eligible for Other Backward Classes (OBC) benefits, across the state, not just in Marathwada. His August 29, 2023, hunger strike in Jalna turned violent, with police lathi-charges injuring over 40 officers, escalating the movement’s intensity.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray endorsed the bandh, framing it as a fight for social justice. “The Maratha community’s demand is legitimate. We stand with them to ensure their rights are protected,” Thackeray said at a rally in Pune, as reported by News18. Other opposition parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) led by Sharad Pawar and Congress, have expressed support, though they face pressure to balance Maratha demands with OBC concerns, as the latter fear dilution of their 27% quota.
Government and Opposition Dynamics
The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has defended the 2024 Act, emphasizing its commitment to Maratha reservation without affecting OBC quotas. Shinde, speaking at a Nashik event on August 22, 2025, appealed for calm, stating, “The government is by the side of the Marathas. We are working on a permanent solution that will stand legal scrutiny.” Fadnavis reiterated that OBC reservations will remain untouched, addressing concerns raised by OBC groups during protests in September 2023.
The state has taken steps to bolster its legal case, including issuing Kunbi caste certificates based on Nizam-era genealogical records and forming a committee under retired Justice Sandeep K. Shinde in September 2023 to streamline the process. On August 22, 2025, the government restructured its Maratha reservation sub-committee, appointing Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil as chairman to engage with protesters and address administrative and legal challenges, as reported by Devdiscourse.
However, opposition leaders have accused the government of politicizing the issue. NCP-SP’s Supriya Sule demanded Fadnavis’s resignation as Home Minister, citing violence during past protests, including the torching of NCP MLA Prakash Solanke’s residence in Beed in October 2023. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticized the government’s handling as “reactive rather than proactive,” urging dialogue with Maratha leaders.
Legal and Social Challenges
The bandh’s timing coincides with ongoing judicial proceedings. The Bombay High Court, under Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, is hearing petitions challenging the 2024 Act’s constitutional validity, with a full bench directed to file a master affidavit by July 26, 2025. The Supreme Court, in July 2025, will consider a plea to stay the Act, arguing it violates the 50% quota cap. Critics, including OBC activists, contend that granting Marathas OBC status could reduce opportunities for existing backward classes, while some Maratha leaders, like Jarange-Patil, reject the separate 10% quota, preferring inclusion in the OBC category.
Socially, the bandh risks escalating tensions between Marathas and OBCs, as seen in September 2023 when the Sakal Maratha Morcha’s Thane bandh led to clashes and police detentions. The government has deployed additional police personnel across cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik to prevent violence, with Hindustan Times reporting that shops and auto drivers have been urged to shut down in support. Posts on X, such as by @IndiaToday, indicate public apprehension, with some users calling the bandh a “pressure tactic” ahead of elections.
Economic and Political Implications
The bandh is expected to disrupt public transport, with state-run MSRTC buses and local trains halting services until 2 p.m., impacting commuters in urban centers like Mumbai and Pune. Schools and colleges may close in some districts, and commercial activities could face losses, similar to the ₹500 crore economic impact during the 2023 Thane bandh. The Maratha issue, a key electoral factor, could sway voter sentiment in the November 2025 assembly polls, with the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition aiming to retain Maratha support while navigating OBC backlash.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP-SP, and Congress, sees the bandh as an opportunity to challenge the ruling coalition’s narrative. However, their support is tempered by the Bombay High Court’s August 23, 2024, ruling against a similar bandh called over the Badlapur sexual assault case, which deemed such shutdown
