Shehzad Poonawalla presents winning trophy for ‘Rise and Fall 2’ to Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai, Nov 11 (IANS) Shehzad Poonawalla, who recently won the title of the 2nd season of the reality show ‘Rise and Fall’, met the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis and presented his winning trophy to him.

Maharashtra Chief Minister, symbolising his gratitude and respect for Fadnavis’s leadership.

The meeting comes days after Shehzad, who is the former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party, announced his decision to donate his entire winning amount of INR 35 lakh towards drought relief in Maharashtra and flood relief efforts in Assam and Bihar.

Shehzad Poonawalla’s contribution to the CM Relief Fund came amid the state facing one of its most widespread drought crises in recent years. The state government has declared 305 of its 358 talukas drought-affected, covering more than 85% of the state’s geographical area. The declaration follows a deficient 2026 southwest monsoon, with Maharashtra receiving 804.4 mm of rainfall against the normal 994.5 mm, a shortfall of approximately 19%.

Marathwada is the worst-hit region, as it recorded a 38% rainfall deficit, Vidarbha follows with a 27% deficit. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has the highest number of drought-affected talukas, at 76, followed by Amravati (56), Nashik (52), Nagpur (52) and Pune (51). More than eight lakh farmers have been affected, with soybean and cotton crops suffering.

Meanwhile, Shehzad Poonawalla was officially declared the winner of the 2nd season of ‘Rise and Fall’. The show, backed by a powerhouse creative team led by Banijay India, MX Original was hosted by Virender Sehwag.

The show is available to stream on MX Player by Prime Video.

–IANS

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