Want to keep Maratha quota fight alive, so...: Jarange

Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday said Marathas would have been divided had they jumped into the poll fray, and claimed they can change the political landscape just ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

Jarange also said that by opting to stay away from the elections, he has kept the fight for Maratha reservation alive.

A decision on supporting candidates for the November 20 state polls will be taken in due course, he told a Marathi news channel in Jalna district.

Jarange had earlier identified certain constituencies where he intended to support or oppose some candidates. But, on Monday, the activist said he will not be fielding or supporting any contestant in the state.

Asked about his future strategy, Jarange said on Wednesday, "A few poll aspirants may have been disgruntled due to the decision not to contest the elections. But with this decision, I have kept the fight for reservation alive. Elections are happiness for a short period which we should avoid."

The activist said they will take a call in due course on whom they want to defeat as there are still some days left before the election.

"We will give the draft (in support of Maratha reservation) to those who are seeking support from us. We will sit again and decide whom we should support. We have the capacity to change the (political) environment in the last phase. We will check who is a strong candidate and then decide to whom we should give the draft and support," he said.

Jarange said the Maratha community has already been targeted.

"If we would have contested the elections, the community would have been divided," he claimed.

Asked if the decision to opt out of elections will benefit the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state, Jarange said, "This has been spoken of for a long time. Then why were our people attacked (in Antarwali Sarathi village last year)? Cases were registered against them. Reservation was given to 15-16 communities recently, but we were not given reservation."

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar chief Sharad Pawar, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, on Monday said nobody from the Opposition alliance has anything to do with Jarange's decision to opt out of the elections.

"We are pleased to hear that Manoj Jarange has decided to withdraw from the Maharashtra assembly elections. Had he chosen to continue his campaign, it could have inadvertently benefited the BJP in the election process. Therefore, we wholeheartedly welcome his decision," Pawar said.