Maharashtra’s government is racing to find a legally sound solution to the escalating Maratha quota dispute, as activist Manoj Jarange enters the fourth day of his hunger strike at Azad Maidan, vowing to stop drinking water to press for a 10% reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category.

Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, leading a cabinet sub-committee on the issue, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis late Sunday to strategise. “We’re working on a resolution, but it must hold up in court,” Patil told reporters, urging protesters to avoid disrupting Mumbai’s daily life to maintain public support.

Jarange, undeterred, demands an immediate government resolution based on existing records for the Maratha quota. He remains defiant, stating he won’t leave the protest site—even in the face of potential police action—until his demands are met.

The state is exploring legal options, including leveraging the Hyderabad gazetteer to grant Kunbi status, an OBC caste, to Marathas. Meanwhile, Fadnavis is set to meet deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar to devise a plan to end the standoff.

As tensions rise, the government faces pressure to balance legal constraints with the growing unrest in Mumbai’s streets.