Maratha Quota activists to contest Assembly polls

Mumbai: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Sunday indicated that he wants to field Maratha community candidates in the state assembly elections instead of Lok Sabha elections. However, he has asked the community members to go to their respective villages and take opinions of the villagers on whether to contest the Lok Sabha election or not. After getting the feedback, they will decide whether to contest the Lok Sabha election or not.

The Maratha quota activist said that he personally felt that the community should show their strength in Vidhan Sabha election to the ruling parties.

Mr. Jarange-Patil convened a state level meeting of Marathas on Sunday at Antarwali-Saraati village in Jalna district of Maharashtra. Around 22 per cent of voters in the state belong to the Maratha community. The Maratha votes can play a decisive role in 18 Lok Sabha seats including eight seats of Marathwadas and six seats of Western Maharashtra.

Earlier, the Maratha quota activist had threatened to field community’s candidate from each village in Lok Sabha. For this, they were seeking donations from villages of Marathwadas.

Referring to the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Jarange-Patil told the gathering, “Politics is not my domain. I will not join politics in the future…The Lok Sabha election is like an ocean for us. Contemplate seriously and intelligently. Don't take a step by getting emotional…. Take the decision you want, I will not say anything.”

The Maratha quota activist said that several Maratha leaders were elected as MPs but the situation did not change. “It is 100 per cent true that Marathas can defeat anybody in 17-18 seats. I will not say that Marathas are dominant in all 48 Lok Sabha constituencies. But there are about 17 to 18 constituencies, which are dominated by Marathas. If the Marathas take a decision to contest, no one can get elected there,” he said.

Mr. Jarange-Patil said that the government has not withdrawn the cases, which were registered against the Maratha agitators.They have not been provided reservation OBC quota despite having Kunbi certificate. They would teach a lesson to the state government in the assembly election, he added.