Maharashtra: 5 more MLAs offer to quit over Maratha quota

Five more legislators from various parties offered their resignations on Thursday, in support of the quota demand by the Maratha community, taking the number of protesting MLAs to seven.

Alarmed by this rise in numbers, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called for a meeting of BJP ministers and party legislators from the Maratha community late on Thursday evening to supposedly open channels of communication with leaders of the agitation.

Experts say the resignations are a pressure-building tactic, unless they are submitted to the Speaker. Speaker Haribhau Bagade said he has only received Harshavardhan Jadhav's (Shiv Sena MLA from Kannad) resignation and that the matter would be decided in the Assembly's Winter session.

Apart from Bhausaheb Patil Chikatgaonkar (NCP MLA, Vaijapur), Seema Hiray (BJP MLA, Nashik West), Bharat Bhalke (Congress MLA, Pandharpur), Dr Rahul Aher (BJP MLA, Chandwad Deola), Dattatray Bharne (NCP MLA, Indapur) and Ramesh Kadam (NCP MLA, Mohol), have offered to quit. Hiray submitted her resignation to the 'samaj (community)', while Bhalke's stand is in support of the demand of quotas by Marathas, Dhangars, Mahadeo Kolis and Muslims. Bagade added that resignation letters have to be in the legislators's handwriting and should not state a reason for quitting.

Maratha Kranti Morcha, which headed the protests, has demanded that Fadnavis immediately issue an ordinance for reservations to quell anger. Due to technical difficulty in accommodating the demand in the current reservation pie, there is an increasing clamour for reservations based on economic criteria.

Not Over Yet

• MKM has announced a stronger round of state-wide agitation on Aug 8. 
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