Manoj Jarange takes U-turn, says have decided not to field any candidates

Taking a Uturn Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said he will not support any contestant or party in the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 and asked his supporters who had filed nominations to withdraw their candidature reported news agency PTIMonday is the last day for withdrawing nominations The Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23Manoj Jaranges decision not to participate in the electoral process marks a notable shift from his earlier strategy as he had identified certain constituencies where he intended to support or oppose some candidatesSpeaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarathi village here on Monday morning Jarange said After much deliberation I have decided not to field any candidate in the state The Maratha community will decide on its own whom to defeat and whom to elect I have no affiliation to or support for any candidate or political party reported PTIThe activist asserted he was not under any pressure from the ruling Mahayuti or the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVAI am under no pressure from anyone The community itself will decide whom to support based on their commitment to the Maratha cause he said while encouraging voters to seek commitments in written or video forms from candidates pledging to support the interests of Marathas reported PTIExpressing faith in his communitys influence over the elections Jarange remarked No one can be elected in this state without the support of Marathas reported PTIHe urged the Maratha community members not to attend any political rally and not be swayed by any partyThose who have wronged or harassed the Maratha community should be taught a lesson through the ballot he said reported PTIJarange reaffirmed his commitment to secure reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes OBC category and said his struggle for the quota would continue reported PTIThe activist on Sunday announced he would support two candidates from Parvati and Daund in the state assembly polls though he said their names will be disclosed laterThe two seats are currently held by the BJP which Jarange has often accused of opposing Maratha reservationsJarange had earlier said he would support candidates in Phulambri Kannad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Hingoli Pathari in Parbhani and Hadgaon in NandedHe had also claimed he would work to defeat sitting MLAs of Bhokardan in Jalna Gangapur Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Kalamnuri Hingoli Gangakhed and Jintur in Parbhani and Ausa in Latur These MLAs are from the Mahayuti governmentMeanwhile the Mumbai Dabbawala Association welcomed Manoj Jaranges decision to withdraw from the electionManoj Jarange Patil is a leader who has fought for Maratha reservation with the courage of a lone warrior The Maratha community trusts his leadership His efforts have caused significant challenges for those opposing Maratha reservation and many want to undermine his influence by any means stated Subhash Talekar President of the Mumbai Dabbawala AssociationThey devised a new strategy to force Manoj Jarange Patil into the election arena and defeat him In response we wrote to him suggesting that if we aim to counter the tactics of antireservation forces he should not directly enter the elections at this time Instead letrsquos work to defeat leaders opposing Maratha reservation regardless of their party affiliation Once we are strong enough we can contest elections more effectively Talekar explainedOur name was proposed by the Maratha Kranti Morcha as a Maratha candidate for the Byculla Assembly Constituency However seeing that Marathas rank fifth in voter numbers within this constituency a Maratha candidate could risk splitting the vote and inadvertently benefit antireservation candidates To avoid this we chose to support the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate Manoj Jamsutkar without filing our own nomination he addedWith inputs from PTI