Maharashtra | Only Eknath

CM Eknath Shinde won a victory by ending the Maratha protest, but now must walk a tightrope between the politically influential Marathas and the increasingly resurgent Other Backward Classes

CM Eknath Shinde addresses the Dussehra rally of the Shiv Sena in Mumbai on October 25; (Photo: ANI)

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde may have turned a corner politically, and a significant one. He still has in front of him the delicate task of walking a tightrope between the politically influential Marathas and the increasingly resurgent Other Backward Classes (OBC). But what he has already accomplished is no small thing. His deft management has turned in his favour a potentially volatile situation: the state-wide agitation for a Maratha quota. His skillful handling not only pacified the turf—with activist Manoj Jarange-Patil withdrawing his protest in November—it has enhanced his own stature in the process. This could well help him position himself as a prominent leader of the Marathas, especially the economically disadvantaged sections within who feel left out of the privileged circles of power inhabited by their own caste elite.