Thousands of members of the Maratha community are en route to Mumbai as activist Manoj Jarange Patil is leading a foot march to the capital city as a part of his ongoing struggle to demand reservation for the community which has had Eknath Shinde's government in Maharashtra on the edge for months.
The march that began in Jalna's Antarvali Sarati, where the agitation began last year, entered Pune on Wednesday to a massive support from members of the community from across the district.
The final destination of the march is Mumbai's Azad Maidan where he is planning to launch another hunger strike, even as the city's administration and police has upped the security on the route.
Addressing the supporters after reaching Lonavala at 4:00 am, Jarange Patil called it the "last phase" of the agitation.
"This is an agitation for our children that has now entered its last phase. All mavlas (Chhatrapati Shivaji's soldiers) must come to Mumbai on 26 January. We have to win this bet. I am fighting for Marathas across the state. We will fight unitedly. This is the time to show support to your community," he said.
Shinde's Appeals and Government's Moves
CM Shinde on Wednesday appealed to Jarange Patil to call off the protest citing the curative petition filed by the Maharashtra government in the Supreme Court to provide reservation to the community.
"We are determined to provide reservation to the community. But it has to be legally strong," Shinde told the media on Wednesday.
The agitation comes even as the state government has put deadline of 31 January on the Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes to complete its survey to determine the social and financial status of the community.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that all necessary security arrangements are in place ahead of the march.
The state government, however, informed the court that a permission has not been taken by Jarange Patil yet to protest at a particular place in the city.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)