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.