BHOPAL: In a significant departure from the extravagant five-star and destination weddings often associated with the families of political heavyweights, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav’s son, Dr Abhimanyu Yadav, married his bride, Dr Ishita Yadav, at a mass marriage ceremony in the family’s home city of Ujjain on Sunday.
Abhimanyu and Ishita were among 21 couples from various Hindu communities who tied the knot at the vibrant ceremony held in Sawarakhedi, Ujjain.
The newly married couples, including the CM’s son and daughter-in-law, received blessings from prominent Hindu seers and religious leaders. Among them were Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Hindu Rashtra proponent and religious preacher Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’, and Akhara Parishad head Mahant Ravindra Puri Maharaj.
The event was also graced by several distinguished guests, including Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and D.D. Uikey, Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, and MP Vidhan Sabha Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar.
While congratulating all the newly married couples, Governor Mangubhai Patel praised Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for setting “a fine example of social harmony” by arranging his younger son’s marriage at a mass wedding ceremony.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, who chanted Vedic mantras to solemnise the 21 weddings under a single sprawling mandap, said the gesture offered an inspiring model for influential, political and affluent families in the country. “This model can help reduce extravagance in weddings and motivate middle- and lower-middle-class families. The CM’s gesture reflects the true spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” he stated.
Religious preacher Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’ said that collective, low-cost weddings should be encouraged across all sections of society. He asserted that the country now needs innovative ways of thinking, and that through this mass ceremony, the message of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is being realised, with social harmony rising above all discrimination.
The ceremony also witnessed Akhara Parishad general secretary Swami Hari Giri Maharaj announcing a contribution of ₹1 lakh for each of the 21 newly married couples.