Shinde pledges drought aid and blames 2019 vote shift at Dussehra rally

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde used a Shiv Sena Dussehra rally in Mumbai to announce new drought‑relief measures and accuse the opposition of stealing votes in 2019. On the morning of the gathering he flagged off 100 trucks carrying aid to drought‑hit districts. He said the party has given 25,000 sewing machines to women from farming families in Parbhani and 25,000 bicycles to school‑going girls, and will fund group weddings for daughters of farmers whose marriages were delayed by the drought. Shinde responded to criticism over a ₹5,000 payment made to farmers before Diwali, calling it a seasonal gift, not the final amount. He reminded listeners that the state budget sets aside ₹32,000 crore for a farm‑loan waiver and that the government will give ₹6,000 each year from both centre and state, with an additional ₹6,000 crore already released directly to farmers. He claimed earlier governments ignored timely‑repaying farmers and said he had given each of them ₹50,000 when he was chief minister. Shinde said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, where both asked for drought details and assured support. He labeled the 2019 formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government by the Thackeray faction as the “largest robbery of democracy”, calling it a real vote theft. He challenged the opposition’s claims about tampered EVMs, asking how MPs who protested today won their seats if machines were rigged. ## Context The rally combined political rallying with a relief drive, a common tactic in Indian state politics where leaders use festival gatherings to showcase welfare promises while attacking rivals.