Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday about the Maratha-OBC quota issue among other subjects of public interest. Pawar had assured senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal that he would take the initiative on behalf of the Opposition to prevent any further tension between Marathas and OBCs over sharing of the reservation. Bhujbal’s request had come following the Opposition’s boycott of the government-organised all-party meeting on the quota issue early this month. The boycott had led the ruling alliance to stall the legislature’s business the next day.

On Sunday, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded to know whether Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and state Congress president Nana Patole were in favour of the Marathas’ demand. Home Minister Amit Shah branded Pawar as anti-Maratha while speaking at the party’s convention in Pune on Sunday.