A fierce verbal clash unfolded between Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of the Opposition, and Chandrashekar Bawankule, the State BJP President, concerning the Maratha reservation issue. Wadettiwar's proposal to include Marathas in the OBC category and raise the overall reservation limit from 50% to 75% triggered a strong reaction from Bawankule, who strongly criticized this proposition.

Bawankule countered that while he acknowledges the need for Maratha reservation, it should not come at the expense of the quotas allocated to OBCs, as well as other marginalized communities such as Vimukt Jati and Nomadic Tribes. The BJP leader criticized Wadettiwar's demands as being ill-advised.

On Saturday, Wadettiwar urged the Central Government to provide Marathas with reservations similar to the EWS category. He also insisted on introducing a bill during the special session of Parliament scheduled for September 18. Furthermore, he appealed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to convene a Special Assembly Session to deliberate on the matter.

Bawankule took the opportunity to remind everyone that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP government, the Maratha reservation had not only been granted but also upheld in the Bombay High Court. He placed blame on the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government for its inability to defend this reservation in the Supreme Court.

Bawankule criticized the entire ministry of then CM Uddhav Thackeray, in which Wadettiwar was a participant, for failing to preserve the reservation. He highlighted that the Fadnavis Government had conducted a thorough socio-economic survey of the Maratha community, whereas the Thackeray Government had failed to secure proficient legal representation for the Supreme Court case.