12 September,2026 04:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Activist Manoj Jarange. File Pic
Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday announced that he and his supporters would start an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from September 19 to demand reservation in jobs and education for the Maratha community, news agency PTI reported.
The proposed protest comes at a particularly sensitive time for Mumbai, with the city in the middle of the 12-day Ganeshotsav festivities, which will be celebrated from September 14 to 25.
With large numbers of devotees expected to travel across the city for Ganpati darshan and festivities, Jarange's planned mobilisation could pose a major challenge for the city administration, police, and traffic authorities.
Speaking at a press conference in Antarwali Sarati, Jarange, who is on the 15th day of his hunger strike, said that he would begin his march towards Mumbai on September 15.
The protesters marching towards Mumbai will halt in Patoda in Beed on September 15, Srigonda in Ahilyanagar district the next day, Hadapsar in Pune district on September 17, and Khopoli in Raigad district on September 18.
They will then camp in Koparkhairane in Navi Mumbai before proceeding to Mumbai, he said.
Jarange said the protesters would cover around 100 kilometres a day before reaching their designated halting points.
He added that the indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai will begin at 10 am on September 19.
The timing of the proposed agitation is likely to add to the challenges before Mumbai authorities, as September 19 falls during the 12-day Ganeshotsav celebrations. The festival typically sees heavy movement of devotees, processions and visitors to prominent Ganpati mandals across the city.
The administration will therefore have to manage the movement of Jarange's supporters alongside the heightened traffic, crowd management and security arrangements already required for Ganeshotsav.
"We have to continue the agitation peacefully until we return from Mumbai with reservation for our community. No one should resort to stone-pelting or arson. Vehicles should be driven properly and everyone should follow the code of conduct. We want to protest through democratic means and secure our rightful demand," Jarange said.
He appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to create hurdles for the protesters.
"Fadnavis should not stop the Maratha community and I believe he will not do that. If police try to stop us with barricades, agitators should stop there and sit on the roads but should not touch the barricades. They should find an alternative route and reach the agitation site," Jarange said.
If protesters are stopped, the responsibility for such action will lie with Fadnavis, he added.
Accusing the state government of not implementing his gazette-related demands and failing to issue caste certificates based on 58 lakh Kunbi records, he said, "We will take this issue to Mumbai. This is the final fight and not a single Maratha should remain at home."
Among Jarange's main demands is a Government Resolution (GR) allowing Marathas to claim reservation under the Kunbi category within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, based on old records and gazette documents.
The demand, however, is vehemently opposed by OBC groups, who believe their share of reservation benefits could be affected.
Jarange said women who wish to participate in the agitation should join after the Mahalaxmi festival by making peaceful visits to the residences of Amruta Fadnavis, wife of CM Fadnavis, and Lata Shinde, the wife of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
They should hold traditional 'haldi-kumkum' programmes to convey their demand for reservation, he said.
Jarange's hunger strike in Mumbai in August-September last year brought parts of the city, including areas around the sprawling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), to a standstill.
On Friday, the Bombay High Court refused to pass any urgent order on a petition seeking to stop his fresh protest in the state capital. The court said every person has the right to protest and that no restraining order could be issued merely on the apprehension of law and order trouble.
With the proposed agitation coinciding with Ganeshotsav, authorities are likely to face the additional task of balancing protest-related security and crowd management with the city's already heightened festive movement.
(With PTI inputs)
