Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday refuted talk of his stir not being a factor in the Maharashtra assembly polls, which were swept by the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.
The Mahayuti won 40 out of 46 seats in Marathwada region, including all five in Jalna, the epicentre of Jarange's stir for quota for the Maratha community in jobs and education.
The ruling alliance's poor show in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year was largely credited to Jarange's opposition, especially his strident remarks against Deputy Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis.
"How can one say the Jarange factor failed in the assembly polls when I did not contest nor did I endorse anybody? I liberated the Maratha community from the clutches of these political parties. The community was free to vote as per its choice. My focus is on empowering the Marathas," he said putting up a brave front.
Expressing satisfaction at the results, he pointed out that 204 Marathas were elected to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly.
Jarange, ahead of the November 20 assembly polls, had routinely spoken about fielding candidates or ensuring those who opposed the community's quota demands were defeated.
In results declared on Saturday, the BJP won 132 seats, followed by 57 for Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and 41 for Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, largely seen as sympathetic to Jarange, crashed to a stunning defeat, with Shiv Sena (UBT) getting 20 seats, Congress 16 and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) 10.
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