Maharashtra Election 2024: Activist Manoj Jarange withdraws from poll fray

Manoj Jarange Patil, Maratha quota activist. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil will not field candidates from the community in the Assembly elections. Hours after selecting 25 constituencies on Sunday night, Jarange changed his decision the next morning, saying that his coalition constituents Muslims and Dalits had not given him the list of their respective candidates to be fielded in Marathwada. However, he has appealed to the community to be discreet in voting and not support any candidate openly but cause the defeat of those opposed to Maratha reservation within the OBC quota.

Following Jarange's appeal to field at least one candidate in each of the eight districts of Marathwada, many of his Maratha associates had filed the nominations. He appealed to them to withdraw their forms on Monday before 3 pm. Marathwada has 46 Assembly seats of which 25 were chosen by Jarange.

Justifying the 'U' turn, Jarange said, "We discussed the matter till 3 am. We were to field Maratha, Muslim and Dalit candidates because a single community cannot win the elections."

"We are novices in politics. We've been there only for a year or so. The community's pride will be at stake if our candidate gets defeated. So, we have decided not to contest the elections. We have decided to defeat the candidates [who are opposed to the Maratha quota]," he said in Antarwali Sarati village, the headquarters of the quota agitation.

‘More than meets the eye'

However, a local political observer said that Jarange's selection of constituencies was surprising because in some places the splitting of votes would have affected the Maha Vikas Aghadi, not Mahayuti. "In some places, the candidates who are relatives of those who were defeated in the Lok Sabha would have benefitted from Jarange's candidates. In some places, the prospects of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) would have been hit badly. Also, segments where some non-BJP ruling party members are contesting were excluded by Jarange," said a senior journalist from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, adding that a large section of the Maratha community was not in favour of giving priority to politics over the quota agitation.

What happened in general election

In the Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti's defeat in seven out of eight constituencies was attributed to the Maratha resentment among other factors. Jarange had travelled across the region, fanning anti-establishment sentiments ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. As it appeared through results, the BJP had emerged as his principal target. The Congress had won three Lok Sabha seats (Latur, Jalna and Nanded), while the Shiv Sena (UBT) also won three seats (Dharashiv, Parbhani and Hingoli). The NCP-SP led by Sharad Pawar won Beed segments, while Shinde Sena got the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar seat.

The Assembly segments Jarange had chosen to contest, but pulled out later, are part of the Lok Sabha constituencies that the Mahayuti had lost.

OBC leader links it to Pawar

Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Laxman Hake, who had led an agitation to counter Jarange's protest, accused the activist of taking orders from NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar. "Jarange acts as per Baramati's [Pawar's] script. He campaigned in the Lok Sabha for MVA and specific candidates because he was instructed by Baramati. Jarange backed out because the OBCs had consolidated. It is easy to gather people, but it is very difficult to contest polls for which an all-inclusive agenda is required," Hake told a press conference.

‘It would have helped BJP'

Commenting on Jarange's decision, Pawar told reporters that he had no connection whatsoever to the activist pulling out of the contest. "However, the BJP would have benefitted had Jarange fielded his candidates," he said.

46
No. of Assembly seats in Marathwada