Sambhajiraje’s meet with Jarange sets off alliance speculations

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Swarajya Sanghatna chief Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati held a closed-door meeting with quota activist Manoj Jarange at village Antarwali Sarati late on Wednesday. The move has sparked speculations of the Maratha activist forming an alliance with Sambhajiraje’s party.
Jarange has already reserved the slot from Aug 14 to 20 for receiving and scrutinising the applications from the candidates keen on contesting the elections in each of the 288 assembly seats across the state.
The meeting between Sambhajiraje and Jarange lasted for three hours. Already, OBC leader Haribhau Rathod, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s great-grandson Rajratna Ambedkar, peasant activist and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna chief Raju Shetti have expressed their desire to form an alliance with the quota activist.
Though Jarange has maintained that he will take a final call about it after holding a public meeting on Aug 29 with the community members, Sambhajiraje said he was keen to contest the elections. Jarange has already announced contesting 288 seats if state govt failed to fulfil the demand of granting reservation under OBC’s share. After meeting the activist, Sambhajiraje said, “I was the first to travel all night and reach Antarwali Sarati when the violence took place in the village.”
“Our forefather Raje Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj was the first to grant reservation to people, including Marathas. Jarange’s stand is to get reservation and I am on the same page on it,” Sambhajiraje said.
He said govt should explain how the 10% reservation given to the Maratha community was going to sustain the test of law.