Quota activist Jarange to field candidates for state polls; ‘finall call by Oct 29’

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday decided to field candidates from his community for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, bringing an end to various speculations over his entry into active politics.
Addressing supporters in Antarwali Sarathi of Jalna district on Sunday, Jarange said winnability would be the criterion for choosing assembly seats from where his supporters will contest as independents.
"We will field candidates at places where the presence of the Maratha community is strong. We will not field candidates for seats reserved for scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) categories; we will ensure a win for other candidates who support our demands. For the remaining seats, we will support candidates who give us in writing on a bond paper of Rs500 that they support all our demands," he said.
Stating that he is working on poll equations that would produce mixed power for Marathas after the polls, Jarange said he would adopt a multi-pronged strategy to establish the influence of his community over Marathwada.
While the announcement of fighting elections produced loud cheers among his supporters, Jarange also said that he may ask some of his candidates to withdraw from the race depending on how things pan out. He told supporters, "You all file nomination papers. I will assess the entire situation in the next few days and decide the final candidates at selected constituencies depending upon elective merit. My word is final, and you must withdraw from the race if I ask so by Oct 29."