Maratha Quota Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil Falls Ill, Campaign Halted

Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil, who embarked on a state tour to drum up support for the Maratha reservations cause, fell ill on Friday, following which he was rushed to a private hospital here.

Jarange-Patil is currently undergoing treatment at the Galaxy Hospital, where he had been earlier admitted on a couple of occasions, said an aide.

He is suffering from heat-related weakness and dehydration though his condition is reported to be stable, and he continues to be under medical supervision, the aide said.

The development came a day after Jarange-Patil announced that he would launch a fresh hunger strike from June 4 - the day of the announcement of Lok Sabha election results - at his native village Antarvali-Sarati in Jalna district.

Besides the fifth round of hunger strike, he said he would take out a massive rally from Beed district on June 8.

Jarange-Patil warned that Marathas would contest all the 288 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections due in October in case the ruling MahaYuti government failed to concede all the pending demands of the Marathas.

These include implementation of the draft notification of January 2024 giving benefits of the reservations to the 'sage-soyare' (bloodline), issuing certificates to Marathas under the OBC category to enable them get quotas, and other demands.

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