Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has been on hunger strike for five days.

| Photo Credit: ANI

Following a drop in his blood sugar level, Jalna District Collector Ashima Mittal appealed to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil to end his fast on the fifth day of his hunger strike on Wednesday (September 2, 2026).Meanwhile, activists from the Maratha community staged a rasta roko (road blockade) at the Chikhali Pati area in Dharashiv district, blocking the Dharashiv-Latur road, and at several locations in Dharashiv, Beed, Jalna, and Solapur districts, demanding a resolution to their demands in the quota issue. The two-hour protest disrupted traffic.“We are complying with all the government resolutions issued so far, and the government is positive about it (resolving the issue). I request him (Mr. Jarange Patil) on behalf of the government to withdraw the hunger strike as his health is deteriorating. We will continue to have dialogue. This is not [a] last fight; communication will continue,” Ms. Mittal said during her visit to see Mr. Jarange Patil at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district.Mr. Jarange Patil, however, refused to withdraw the strike, and said that the demands raised by the protesters involved State-level decisions. He asked Ms. Mittal whether she was there to defend government, and advised her not to get involved. “I respect you but won’t accept your explanation. I request you not to come here for negotiating on any of the demands,” Mr. Jarange Patil said. “Why is the government not meeting him (Mr. Jarange Patil) instead of sending bureaucrats? Why has the Government Resolution not been implemented? What is the State-appointed committee is doing? Manoj dada’s health is not doing well. If something happens to him, the State will be on fire,” one of the protesters said.On August 29, 2026, Mr. Jarange Patil commenced a protest for the 11th time on the issue of reservation for Marathas. The focus of the protest this time is the implementation of reservation for Marathas under the Kunbi category. Citing the Shinde Committee report, Mr. Jarange Patil has claimed that the Satara District Gazetteer and the Hyderabad Gazette have 58 lakh records that link Marathas with Kunbis genealogically. The government was cutting back on these figures, cancelling the issuance of Maratha caste certificates, and preventing validation of issued certificates, the quota activist alleged. Published - September 02, 2026 10:42 pm IST