Shinde stays silent on Maratha stir as Jarange targets Fadnavis

Mumbai: As his hunger strike at Azad Maidan entered the fifth day on Tuesday, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s resolve to continue the agitation till his demands are met seems to be growing stronger.

Several leaders of the ruling Mahayuti, particularly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have commented on the entire agitation one way or the other, save Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.

This time, barring a few statements, neither Shinde nor any of the Shiv Sena ministers have been seen making an attempt to talk to the agitators.

On Friday, when Amit Shah was in Mumbai, Shinde was seen alongside the Union Home Minister visiting Ganesh pandals. Over the weekend, however, as Jarange’s protest in Mumbai gained traction, Shinde left for his village in Satara for Ganapati celebrations, leaving the situation in the hands of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Ajit Pawar, the other deputy CM, too, was in his home district of Pune.

On Monday, both the deputies attended a meeting chaired by Fadnavis in Mumbai to discuss the state government’s response to the Maratha agitation. While Fadnavis is Brahmin, and has been the primary target of Jarange’s ire so far, his two deputies are Marathas.

📍 #मुंबई |

मराठा आरक्षणावरून मुंबईमध्ये सुरू असलेल्या आंदोलनाच्या पार्श्वभूमीवर आज मुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस यांच्या वर्षा या निवासस्थानी विशेष बैठकीचे आयोजन करण्यात आले होते.

यावेळी उपमुख्यमंत्री अजित पवार, मंत्री शिवेंद्रराजे भोसले, मंत्री राधाकृष्ण विखे पाटील आणि इतर… pic.twitter.com/BRUQII1EOo

— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) September 1, 2025

Even as the Shiv Sena downplayed his absence from Mumbai, and his silence over the protests, several leaders hinted at how there is very little that Shinde could do at the moment.

“All these discussions are happening on a high-level between CM and Deputy CMs. It is their internal matter. But they are in touch with each other. Our party member is in the sub-committee. Till the time we are not asked, we won’t be taking any initiative to begin talks,” Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat told ThePrint.

Shinde’s decision to maintain his distance from the agitation also comes at a time when there’s a power tussle underway with CM Fadnavis.

Political analysts were of the opinion that this could be a calculated move by Shinde as part of the same power tussle. “Since Shinde was sidelined by Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, it looks like this is an answer to Fadnavis. Also with the upcoming local body elections, especially in rural Maharashtra, Shinde would like to capitalise on maximum poll bodies,” political analyst Jaidev Dole, who is from Marathwada, told ThePrint.

“Because Shinde’s party does not have any cooperative, banking, education base like Congress and NCP, through this Maratha agitation, he is desperate and wants to spread his roots in rural Maharashtra. He could be supporting the agitation from backdoor channels.”

In February 2024, the state government passed the Maharashtra State Reservation for SEBC Bill 2024, in the Assembly and Council, giving 10 percent reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community. The legislation was based on a Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission report that identified the Marathas as socially and educationally backward. However, this standalone quota is yet to pass the court’s scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Maratha community has been demanding that it should get reservation as Kunbis under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, saying all Marathas were once Kunbis. A three-member committee has been examining individual claims and granting eligible Maratha Kunbi certificates.

The OBCs, however, strongly are against the Marathas getting reservation as Kunbis. Mahayuti minister Chhagan Bhujbal, one of Maharashtra’s strongest OBC leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, has thrown his weight behind his community.

Also Read: Jarange Patil digs in heels at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, calls Fadnavis govt ‘worse than the British’

Strategic pullback?

Even as the Bombay High Court remarked on how the city of Mumbai got paralysed because of the protesters crowding south Mumbai, Shinde did not take any review meetings with the BMC officials nor commented on the preparedness of various agencies in the city.

Shinde is not only the guardian minister of Mumbai but also the urban development minister.

“The silence on part of Shinde is calculated. There could be multiple reasons. A possible political fallout of statements made in favour of any group may prove to be costly,” Ajinkya Gaikwad, a professor of politics in Mumbai, told ThePrint.

“Also, as a seasoned and shrewd politician, he will avoid any escalation arising out of his statements being interpreted by the opposition. Hence, not irking coalition partners and maintaining the stability of the coalition is a task of paramount importance as of now.”

Jarange who started his agitation from his village Antarwali Sarati in August 2023 during the tenure of the Mahayuti government led by Shinde, shot to limelight when on 1 September, the police under then home minister and Deputy CM Fadnavis resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protesters.

Since then, Jarange has been targeting Fadnavis and seemingly held a soft corner for Shinde, who is a Maratha as well.

Handling Jarange Patil’s agitation and convincing him to take a step back also helped Shinde bolster his own Maratha credentials as a political leader. In September 2023, the pro-Maratha activist ended his agitation and hunger strike after 17 days by accepting a glass of juice offered by Shinde.

In January 2024 when he along with his supporters decided to come to Mumbai, the agitation was curtailed at the border of the city in Navi Mumbai. Shinde then promised Jarange that his demands would be met. Patil and Shinde applied gulal to each other to announce victory.

Back then, Shinde persuaded Jarange to break his fast, offering him water and vowing in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue that he would meet the Maratha quota demand. Jarange Patil turned back and returned to his village in Marathwada’s Jalna district.

The state government took out a draft resolution to issue Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas for granting reservation under the OBC category. This was later expanded to include ‘sage-soyare’ (blood relatives) of eligible Marathas for quota benefits.

“I had taken a pledge in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue that I will implement Maratha reservation. I believe in making promises and fulfilling them,” Shinde had said then.

This time, Shinde taking a backseat has not gone unnoticed. “Nobody from Shinde nor his party has approached us,” Shriram Kurankar, an aide of Jarange Patil, said. “This time around except for the Justice Shinde committee, none from the government even came and spoke to us.”

On their part, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told ThePrint that Jarange’s demands are being considered, but needs to show patience.

“The sub-committee is looking into it, and they have to work out a route that will stand legally as well. All this needs to be considered. The sub-committee has members from all parties. There is no issue within the Mahayuti,” the leader said.

Political observers propounded that it was beneficial for Shinde not to be in line of fire and instead handle things through backdoor channels.

“One cannot deny the fact that Shinde may be involved in backdoor negotiations with the Maratha Morcha. Second, the matter of reservation is now in the judicial paradigm, and giving statements at this juncture makes it risky. Lastly, silence may also provide him an opportunity to minimise responsibility and accountability in case the legal consequences are negative,” Gaikwad said.

Shinde’s absence also has to do with the upcoming local body polls, Dole said, adding that he was watching the entire drama unfold through the wings without participation.

“Being part of the government, Shinde is responsible for curbing the agitation, too. But, he is right now testing waters to see how his party is accepted within the community in the local polls,” he asserted.

(Edited by Tony Rai)