Decode Politics: Why BJP has most to lose from OBC anger over Maratha quota

THE UNREST among the OBCs following a Maharashtra government draft notification allowing the issue of Kunbi certificates to the blood relatives of Maratha members who already have the certificate does not auger well for the ruling BJP ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

OBC leaders and organisations have threatened state-wide rallies against the proposal, fearing it would cut into their quota pie. Cabinet minister and NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction leader Chhagan Bhujbal has announced the first such meeting of OBCs at Ahmednagar on February 3 under the banner of the Samata Parishad Bhujbal, declaring that he was not concerned about retaining his post. “We will ensure OBC reservation remains intact at any cost.”

OBC Jan Manch president Prakash Shendge calls the draft notification a “betrayal”, opening the doors for Marathas to avail the OBC quota using Kunbi certificates.

At 52% of the population, OBCs are a decisive force in Maharashtra. Comprising 250-plus groups and sub-groups, they have a presence across 355 talukas covering 36 districts, with not a single one of the state’s 40,000-plus villages not having some numbers.

The Marathas, in contrast, are 33% of the state population, but the single largest group in the state, and socially and politically the most dominant.

Since the late 1980s, led by right-wing ideologue Vasantrao Bhagwat, the BJP has assiduously nurtured an OBC support base, to expand beyond its image of being a Brahmin-Baniya party. Bhagwat’s efforts ensured that backward communities such as the Malis, Dhangars and Vanjaris – popularly grouped under the acronym ‘Madhav’ – emerged as the mainstay of the BJP.

In contrast, the Marathas are seen as traditionally supporters of the Congress, and