In the complex socio-political landscape of Goa, the Bahujan communities—historically marginalized groups encompassing lower-caste Hindus such as the Kshatriya Maratha Samaj, Gomantak Maratha Samaj, Naik Bhandaris, Kshatriya Komarpant Maratha, and Gaud Maratha—have navigated their identity and aspirations through a unique interplay of caste, language, and regional politics. Between the 1960s and 1987, their alignment with Marathi and, at times,...