Will roll out election strategy if demands not met, says Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange

Manoj Jarange. File Pic

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday said that if the Maharashtra government did not accept the Maratha community's quota-related demands, he would disclose his strategy for the assembly election within 48 hours of the code of conduct coming into force.

If his supporters decide to contest the elections, they would fight independently and would not form an alliance though they would seek to defeat the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition, Manoj Jarange told PTI in an interview over phone.

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"We are waiting for the code of conduct....Once the code of conduct is in force, and if our demands are not accepted (by that point), we will roll out our strategy for the assembly elections in the next 48 hours. I will not let them (the ruling coalition) sleep," said the activist who undertook a series of fasts in the last more than one year to press the demand of reservation for the Marathas.

"I have done my homework and prepared a strategy for contesting elections or to defeat the candidates of the ruling parties. (Deputy Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis says they have solved 80 percent of the question paper (worked out sharing of 80 percent of seats). But I say that 80 percent of their work has been spoiled," he further said.

Asked about his assertion that the disgruntled Maratha community will seek to defeat the candidates of the ruling coalition in 113 constituencies, Jarange said, "We have a list of 113 candidates whom we want to defeat if the Maratha quota issue is not resolved. But we are not going to get into alliance with anyone. If we decide to contest, our candidates will be fielded independently."

Asked about the BJP clinching a hat-trick of victories in the Haryana assembly polls, he said the issues were different in every state.

"In Haryana, everyone must have voted for the BJP. But the BJP has the habit of abandoning the people who help it after it gets power. Here there is an issue of the Maratha community, and the agitation is still going on," Jarange added.

As much as 55 percent of people in Maharashtra belong to the Maratha community, he claimed.

"There are at least one lakh Maratha voters in almost every constituency. We have the capacity to defeat candidates," the activist warned.

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