Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived at Kartavya Bhawan at the Finance Ministry on Saturday, marking a significant moment ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget for the 2026–27 financial year. Scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on February 1 (Sunday), the budget will see Sitharaman create history by becoming the first finance minister to present nine consecutive Union Budgets.
With this milestone, Sitharaman further cements her place in India’s parliamentary and fiscal history under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While former Prime Minister Morarji Desai continues to hold the overall record of presenting 10 Union Budgets—spread across two tenures as finance minister between 1959–1964 and 1967–1969—Sitharaman’s uninterrupted run stands out for its continuity and consistency.
Among her predecessors, P. Chidambaram came close with nearly nine budgets, though not consecutively, while Pranab Mukherjee presented eight budgets during his tenure. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh delivered five straight budgets between 1991 and 1995 during a defining phase of India’s economic reforms.
Appointed as India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister in 2019 after the Modi government’s second term, Sitharaman retained the key portfolio even after the 2024 general elections. Since then, she has presented eight consecutive budgets, including the Interim Budget in 2024. Her 2020 Budget speech remains the longest in India’s history, running for two hours and 40 minutes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed this achievement as a moment of pride in parliamentary history, highlighting the continuity and stability in economic governance during challenging global and domestic conditions.
India’s budgetary tradition dates back to November 26, 1947, when the first Union Budget was presented by R.K. Shanmukham Chetty. Over the years, several conventions have evolved. The presentation time was shifted from the colonial-era 5:00 pm slot to 11:00 am in 1999 under then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. In 2017, the Budget date was advanced to February 1 to ensure timely implementation from the start of the financial year on April 1.
The evolution of budget speeches also reflects changing times. While Sitharaman’s 2020 address set a record for length, the shortest Budget speech was delivered by Hirubhai Mulljibhai Patel in 1977, consisting of just about 800 words.
As the nation awaits the Union Budget 2026, expectations are high on fiscal policy direction, growth measures, tax reforms, and spending priorities. The budget is expected to lay down the economic roadmap for the coming year amid global uncertainty and domestic aspirations.
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Read More: Union Budget 2026 to Be Tabled Today: Nirmala Sitharaman To Present 9th Consecutive Budget
