Mumbai, Sep 25: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Friday said that Maharashtra is grappling with an unprecedented and devastating drought, as rainless conditions during the peak monsoon season have decimated crops across vast stretches of Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, and Vidarbha.

Highlighting the severe distress among the farming community, the Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Samaana’, has urged the state government to bypass bureaucratic norms, open state coffers unconditionally, and declare an immediate drought emergency.

Driven by the severe effects of the ‘El Niño’ phenomenon, regions including Solapur, Ahilyanagar, and several districts across Marathwada and Western Vidarbha have gone weeks — and in some places up to two months — without a single drop of rain. Standing crops of soybean, cotton, tur, moong, urad, sorghum, and maize have dried up and withered. Even farmers with access to wells or irrigation facilities expect a yield drop of 50 per cent to 70 per cent, while rain-dependent dryland farmers have faced total crop loss, said the editorial.

According to the editorial, the crisis is set to hit both the Kharif and upcoming Rabi seasons. With wells, ponds, and borewells drying up prematurely in the middle of the rainy season, farmers are left with no water for the next sowing cycle, threatening a complete loss of yearly livelihood.

The editorial took sharp aim at the state leadership for delaying action. Comparing Maharashtra to neighbouring Karnataka — which officially declared a drought and initiated relief measures weeks ago — it criticised the Chief Minister and ministers for waiting for the returning monsoon rather than taking decisive action. “Though the Chief Minister and government officials have recently begun visiting farm boundaries to assess the ground reality, formal surveys, spot inspections (panchnamas), and ministerial review meetings should not delay immediate relief,” remarked the Thackeray camp.

Beyond nature’s wrath, farmers are facing severe exploitation in agricultural markets. The editorial highlighted a harrowing incident from Sailu taluka in Parbhani district, where a farmer named Jeevan Kawade managed to cultivate four quintals of chilli despite the drought. He was paid a meagre Rs 1,017 for his entire produce by traders — far short of even the Rs 2,000 he spent solely on harvesting labour, excluding seeds, fertilisers, and transport costs.

The editorial called on state leaders to visit market committees (APMCs) and crack down on middlemen who are exploiting distressed farmers.

Emphasising that the current situation is a matter of life and death for lakhs of agricultural families, the editorial concluded with a stark demand. “The government must throw open the state treasury and waive rigid rules and technical criteria to keep Maharashtra’s farmers alive. Having witnessed the grief on the ground firsthand, the prompt question remains –will the government act before it is too late?” asked the editorial.

Mumbai, Sep 25: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday demanded the immediate cancellation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, alleging that the voter roll verification process was being used to manipulate electoral outcomes.

He also called for a nationwide movement by opposition parties to bring back paper ballot voting instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

In a statement on X, Thackeray accused the ruling party of leveraging key institutional figures to maintain an “endless grip on power” and called upon all opposition parties across the country to unite for a massive agitation to bring back paper ballots.

Drawing a vivid mythological parallel, Thackeray remarked, “‘Sant Dnyaneshwar’ once made a buffalo recite the Vedas; now, the buffaloes in power are getting their version of the Vedas recited through this ‘Gyanesh.’”

Thackeray highlighted that CEC Gyanesh Kumar has remained silent over the past two days amid growing public and political scrutiny regarding internal rifts and administrative decisions within the Election Commission.

Calling the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise a “new weapon” deployed since 2025 to manipulate voter lists, Thackeray pointed out that serious concerns and irregularities are now being raised even from within the Election Commission itself.

Emphasising that electronic voting systems undermine public trust, Thackeray urged all political parties to join hands in a national movement demanding that all future elections be conducted strictly using traditional paper ballots.

“The SIR currently underway should be completely cancelled. An impartial probe must be conducted into the irregularities that have surfaced, and only then should a fresh verification process be undertaken,” he said.

Thackeray urged all opposition parties to unite against the exercise, arguing that electoral transparency could be ensured only through ballot paper voting.

“Only when we scrap this compromised process and move back to ballot paper voting will the absolute truth behind this long-standing hold on power finally be laid bare,” Thackeray added.

Thackeray’s statement adds fuel to an escalating political storm following recent reports of dissent within the Election Commission. Opposition parties have increasingly rallied around claims that the institutional independence of the electoral body has been compromised.

Mumbai, Sep 25: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four more accused in connection with the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector exam question paper leak case, taking the total number of arrests to 11.

The latest arrests include two candidates and two middlemen. The arrested candidates have been identified as Sajid Sande and Vijay Kinger. Sande was arrested from Sangli, while Kinger was apprehended from Buldhana.

The two middlemen, Sandeep Khalate and Bhairavnath Kadam, were arrested from Navi Mumbai, according to the investigation.

The probe has revealed violations of the confidentiality and fairness of the MPSC examination. The investigation is also examining allegations that official duties were misused to unlawfully access, withdraw and exchange question papers for financial gain.

Earlier, former Under Secretary Abhijit Lendve, Assistant Chamber Officers Visheshwar Nakate and Gopal Marathe, Kautilya Academy Director Praveen Patil, alleged middlemen Amrit Patil and Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, and candidate Rituja Patil were arrested in connection with the case.

With the latest four arrests, the total number of accused arrested in the case has reached 11.

The SIT is conducting further investigations and is examining the possible involvement of other individuals in the alleged question paper leak.

The case had earlier triggered protests among MPSC aspirants. On September 7, thousands of candidates took to the streets in Pune, demanding greater transparency in the commission’s functioning and seeking the removal of its chairman, Vivek Bhimanwar.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the alleged paper leak had taken an unusual turn after a personal dispute reportedly led to information about the alleged leak reaching the MPSC.

According to the Crime Branch, Lokesh alias Gaurav Patil, 24, was himself a recipient of the leaked question paper and had obtained it from his then-girlfriend, Rituja Patil, before the March 22 examination.

Police allege that after the two separated, Patil approached the MPSC and informed the commission about the alleged leak. According to the investigation, he was concerned that Rituja Patil would move on after securing a government job.

The Crime Branch is continuing its probe to establish the complete chain through which the question paper was accessed and circulated, as well as the roles played by the candidates, alleged middlemen and other individuals involved in the case.