The Maharashtra government on Wednesday formed an nine-member cabinet sub-committee to look into education and social issues concerning the Other Backward Classes (OBC). Within 24 hours of the Maratha stir ending, the announcement to form this new sub-committee was widely seen as a move to pacify the OBC community, as it had expressed displeasure about the Maharashtra government’s decision on Tuesday to agree to most of the Maratha community’s reservation demands. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “The decision to form the OBC sub-committee was taken to address and expedite the issues of the community.”

The panel will comprise four members from the BJP and two each from Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). OBC leader and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule (BJP) will be heading the sub-committee. The other three BJP members in the committee are Pankaja Munde, Ganesh Naik, and Atul Save. Leaders Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod from the Shinde camp and NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal and Dattatray Bharane are also in the sub-committee, which includes a government official — the secretary of the OBC welfare department.

BJP MLA Atul Save. Pic/@save_atul/X; (right) NCP leader Dattatray Bharane. PIC/@bharanemamaNCP/X