MUMBAI: The Maratha quota stir has found a defining face since Manoj Jarange-Patil launched his agitation from Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna on August 29, 2023, and has maintained a sustained pressure on the state government to issue Kunbi certificates to the eligible in the community to enable them to secure reservation at educational institutions and jobs in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. The state government claims to have issued 1.4 million Kunbi certificates from the 5.8 million Kunbi-related documents collated over the last three years.
While 3,50,000 Kunbi certificates have been validated by a special committee, set up to scrutinise the names of the applicants, an equal number of certificates under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2023, which provides a dedicated 10% reservation for Marathas who are not covered under the OBC category, have been issued over the last three years. members of the Maratha community have begun reaping benefits at the local level in jobs and education While the quota activist continues to insist on blanket Kunbi certificates for all Marathas on the basis of the 5.8 million Kunbi records collated by the government. ‘I now have the grit for MPSC exams’ Jayram Rohidas Aahe, 30 Police Patil, Ukhand village, Patoda taluka, Beed district I have certainly benefitted from Manoj Jarange-Patil’s agitation and urging the government to issue Kunbi certificates to Marathas, to enable them to access the OBC quota. I joined the service on a monthly remuneration of ₹ 15,000 in June this year. Following Jarange dada’s demand from the government, I approached the Land Records Office at our tehsil and secured the Kunbi certificate in 2024 by furnishing my family’s genealogical records. So, for people like me, the option is to remain within the 10% SEBC quota dedicated to Marathas, which was introduced by the Eknath Shinde government in 2023 (following Jarange-Patil’s agitation). I was selected as a secondary school teacher with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 2024 through the EWS quota. I have always secured around 120 out of 200 in my examinations. The cut-off under EWS remains around 114 marks, while it is around 120 under SEBC. OBC candidates get certain reservation and age-relaxation benefits, while SEBC has its own set of benefits which are uncertain as the quota has been challenged in court for allegedly breaching the overall 50% reservation cap. I am preparing for the examination and had applied in 2023 under EWS. ‘Finally, my family’s financial status has improved’ Bhagawan Bhuse, 31 Khamgaon, Shevgaon tehsil, Ahilyanagar; teacher I had been trying to get through the teacher recruitment examinations since 2017; I missed by just one mark in 2022. As a general category candidate, I scored 106 marks while the cut-off was 107. Had I been in the OBC category, I would have been selected in 2022, where the cut-off is a difference of four marks. I was able to get my Kunbi certificate in 2025 after Jarange-Patil’s protest and was selected as a teacher last year in a Nashik district council school. If I had remained in the open category, I would not have secured the post in Nashik opting instead for far-off districts such as Bhandara or Gondia, which are more than 600 km from my village in Ahilyanagar. ‘I lost precious years but finally got the validity certificate’ Rohini Theurkar, 38 Teacher in a district council school, Chandrapur I have benefited from the protests led by Maratha quota activist Jarange-Patil over the last three years. I was the first from my family to obtain a Kunbi certificate in 2012, after which the entire family followed. My husband obtained it in 2029, based on which both my daughters received a scholarship for Class V this year. I entered government service at 38 having missed opportunities earlier owing to the need of high merit in the category to which I belonged. It was painful to face rejection despite scoring 148 out of 200 in the 2008 entrance examination, while people who scored 90 or 100 marks from the OBC category were inducted into the service. They are 20 years senior to me now.
But after the SEBC reservation was introduced, we had to move out of EWS. I lost an option – I do not doubt his sincerity, and support his protest Although Manoj Jarange-Patil’s drive has not benefitted me – in fact. But the SEBC quota, which was introduced following his protest, remains uncertain.
Because no Kunbi documents are available in western Maharashtra to obtain the certificate, as I belong to the SEBC category, I could not secure an OBC quota. Because the competition under EWS was comparatively easy, i regret losing that option. Because of him that the process of obtaining OBC certificates became easier and our family’s financial status has also improved, my family and I are thankful to Manoj dada – it is. Because it has constitutional protection, i would say OBC is the best option.
Here are four profiles of people from the Maratha community. It includes those whose lives were impacted by gaining Kunbi certificates to join the OBC category, as well as those ineligible for Kunbi certificates who had to exit the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota to enter the SEBC category. Thanks to the move, I was selected as a Police Patil (a revenue official) at my village. I have taken the MPSC exams thrice in the past – clearing the prelims the third time (this year) after missing the target by just two marks in two prior attempts. I would have cleared those exams easily if I had the OBC certificate, as for candidates in this category the cut-off is four marks lower than those in the open category. There was a Police Patil recruitment drive going on in our village Ukhanda at the time. The post was reserved for OBC candidates, as per rotational reservation. I managed to crack the exam thanks to my preparation for MPSC While the competition was tough. Such records are available only in parts of Marathwada. But after the SEBC reservation came into force, we were required to move out of the EWS category. Had I not been selected then under EWS, it would have been difficult for me to ace it under SEBC. The difference between SEBC and OBC is crucial. This uncertainty is particularly worrying for MPSC examination. I feel my chances as a candidate from the previous category would have been better, as the cut-off is lower. It should have a clear constitutional mandate, like the SC, ST and OBC reservations. I would have been ahead in my profession by four years already. Before Jarange-Patil’s agitation, officials and employees in government offices would not cooperate in issuing Kunbi certificates. Failing to make the mark in the general category and my advancing age was giving me sleepless nights. Now, as I have an age extension, I can plan for higher posts such as extension officer, education officer and centre chief in Class-I positions. People from the Maratha community ask me about the comparison between OBC, SEBC and EWS quotas, which the Maratha community has benefited from at various points in time. The SEBC quota has been challenged in court and has a sword hanging over it. I was selected as a teacher this year in a district council school in Warora, Chandrapur, and will obtain the validity certificate – a formal verification document required to prove the legal authenticity of the OBC certificate during admissions to educational institutes or government jobs – which has to be submitted shortly. Though my OBC certificate was obtained way before Jarange-Patil’s protest, the validity certificate, which is difficult to obtain, has become easier to get, given the atmosphere created across the state around reservations.
If I had the opportunity earlier, I would have been a Class-I officer by now.
‘I preferred the EWS over SEBC quota’ Yogita Dhamal-Salunke, 34 MA, B.Ed, NET-SET; secondary teacher at a school run by Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation The OBC certificate will help my future attempts at MPSC, as the police job and reservation have given me the confident take a crack at it again. OBC candidates get five attempts, compared to three for candidates from the open category. The candidates also get a five-year age relaxation. my aspiration is to become a Class-I officer – a dream made possible thanks to Jarange dada While my present job is a permanent one.
