Amid quota unrest, split party loyalties, these 5 groups hold key to Maharashtra results

In the five-phase elections for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that wrapped up on Monday, with the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi coalitions locked in intense battle, five groups which will be a deciding factor are the Marathas, OBCs, Muslims, Dalits and tribals.

The run-up to the Lok Sabha elections was marked by unrest within the Maratha community, seeking reservations, which was given a new fillip by hunger strikes led by Manoj Jarange Patil. The Marathas constitute 33% of the state’s population, and as their protests showed no signs of settling down, the Mahayuti government finally announced a 10% quota for the economically backward among them. However, the community remains unconvinced about it passing courts.

The MVA is counting on the discontent within the Marathas to reflect in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies falling in the Marathwada region, where resentment is also building up over the continuing water crisis.

With Jarange Patil directing his attacks on Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, the Mahayuti accused the activist of acting at the behest of MVA leaders, particularly Sharad Pawar.

The Maratha reservation protests saw a counter-polarisation among OBCs in the Marathwada region, who fear that any quota for the community, which remains dominant socially and politically, will come at their expense. Under the banner of the Sakal Maharashtra OBC Sangh, community leaders sought to rally the different groups falling under Other Backward Classes.

Together, the OBCs, a conglomeration of multiple communities and sub-categories, make up 52% of the state’s population, with the dominant categories among them being the Mallis, Dhangars and Vanjaris. They are seen as wielding immense influence across