Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Tuesday, 20 October announced that the Shiv Sena will fully fund and organise mass marriage ceremonies for the daughters of distressed farmers across Maharashtra, citing severe drought conditions bearing down on rural communities ahead of Diwali. The pledge, made at a Dussehra rally in Parbhani, was accompanied by a directive to party MPs and MLAs to immediately compile constituency-level lists of farming families with upcoming weddings.

The Announcement and What It Covers

Addressing the Dussehra rally, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde declared that Shiv Sena will shoulder the full responsibility of arranging and funding weddings wherever farmers' daughters have confirmed engagements. He issued an on-the-spot directive to all party legislators to survey their constituencies and furnish lists for the planned mass marriage events.

Simultaneously, the event in Parbhani marked the formal launch of distribution of 25,000 sewing machines and 25,000 bicycles to women under the party's 'Ladki Bahin' initiative. The distribution of Diwali Shidha (Diwali ration kits) for farming families was also confirmed to have commenced.

Drought Relief Measures Announced

Highlighting the acute distress gripping Maharashtra's agrarian belt, Deputy CM Shinde confirmed that the state government has officially declared a drought and has activated 12 major relief measures, covering education support, loan recovery suspension, electricity bill concessions, fodder supply, and water provisioning. He added that the administration bypassed standard National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms to expedite aid delivery.

Immediate cash assistance of ₹5,000 per affected farmer, alongside regular drought relief packages, is to be disbursed. Shinde also noted that ₹32,000 crore has been allocated in connection with farm loan waiver discussions. He said he personally apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of the farmers' plight, with both leaders assuring full Central government cooperation.

Shinde's Attack on the Opposition

Deputy CM Shinde, without naming him explicitly, launched a sharp critique of former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, drawing a contrast between tangible relief and symbolic gestures. 'We are providing real assistance to farmers. You at least go and hand over a packet of biscuits,' he remarked.

Shinde termed the Opposition-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the INDIA alliance a 'ten-headed Ravan' that needed to be symbolically vanquished, accusing them of orchestrating protests in Mumbai and spreading 'fake narratives' about vote theft while farming families suffer. He also dismissed Opposition concerns over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), questioning why doubts are raised selectively: 'When they won in several places, was there no vote theft then?'

Ideological Framing and Party Strength

Invoking the legacies of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and mentor Anand Dighe, Shinde said both leaders would have urged prioritising farmers above all else during hardship. He reaffirmed his party's ideological grounding in Hindutva and claimed the Shiv Sena today commands 15 MPs, 74 MLAs, and over 1,000 municipal councillors.

Responding to media queries about political realignments, the Deputy CM remarked, 'Journalists ask me when Operation 3.0 will happen. We don't perform operations after announcing dates like doctors — we perform direct operations.' He contrasted the Modi-led NDA government's allocation of ₹12 lakh crore to Maharashtra with the previous UPA government's ₹2 lakh crore, while highlighting that the Centre currently provides free foodgrains to over 32 crore citizens nationally.

What Comes Next

Party MPs and MLAs have been directed to submit constituency-level lists of farmers with daughters' weddings finalised, after which Shiv Sena will organise and fund mass marriage events. With Diwali weeks away, the relief packages — including the ₹5,000 cash assistance and Diwali ration kits — are being fast-tracked to reach drought-hit farming households before the festival.