Jarange Says Mumbai March May Be Called Off as Health Worsens

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who is travelling towards Mumbai to press his demand for reservation, said on Wednesday that his march could be called off because of health problems brought on by prolonged travel and his continuing hunger strike.

Mr. Jarange reached Patoda in Beed district at around 11 a.m., roughly 14 hours after leaving Antarwali Sarati in Jalna, where he began this fresh round of agitation. He addressed a gathering at Patoda.

The activist said he was experiencing a severe burning sensation in his stomach and feet. "If I take treatment, the government becomes completely carefree. If I stop treatment, they become tense," he said, adding that the journey to Mumbai was taking a toll on him. He said he could carry on if his condition held up, but that such long travel was not advisable during a hunger strike, and that the tour could be cancelled if no alternative remained.

He told the crowd that reservation mattered more than the tour, which he described as seeming impossible given the burning sensation in his stomach and feet.

Mr. Jarange also urged his supporters to allow him to proceed to Mumbai on his own. He asked that no vehicle follow him from Patoda, saying he would change his route, keep only the police informed, and that supporters could come if he was not permitted to enter the city.

Mumbai police had earlier refused him permission to shift the protest to Azad Maidan, citing law and order concerns during the Ganesh festival. Mr. Jarange, who has been on a hunger strike for 18 days, is demanding OBC quota status for Maratha community members who can establish Kunbi caste genealogies. Despite the denial, he set out for the state capital on Tuesday in a convoy of cars, drawing support from hundreds of villagers along the way.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that maintaining law and order was the police's responsibility, and questioned the timing of the agitation during the Ganesh festival. He also said the government had accepted 12 of the 13 "legally valid" demands raised by Maratha protesters.

Under the current plan, the carcade is to pass through Beed, Srigonda in Ahilyanagar, Hadapsar in Pune and Khopoli in Raigad before reaching Azad Maidan on September 19, covering more than 400 km.

Mr. Jarange had earlier led a five-day protest and hunger strike at Azad Maidan from August 29, 2025. That stir was withdrawn on September 2, 2025, after the state government accepted six of eight demands and began administrative steps towards Kunbi classification certificates.