India, Aug. 30 -- Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil began his first indefinite hunger strike at Azad Madan, in close proximity to Mantralaya, Maharashtra government's administrative headquarters in Mumbai, on Friday morning, vowing not to leave the spot till his demand of blanket reservation for Marathas in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category was met. The activist's stance was in defiance of Mumbai police's permission allowing him to hold the protest at a designated spot in the maidan, with no more than 5000 supporters between 9 am and 6 pm.

As the day went by and Jarange-Patil remained resolute in his demand, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told media persons outside Sahyadri guesthouse that the "government will find a solutio...