Sitharaman To Present Sixth Budget In A Row Ahead Of General Elections

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, holding a folder-case containing the Interim Budget 2024, poses for photos outside the Finance Ministry, in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her sixth straight Budget ahead of the Parliamentary elections, matching the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
Sitharaman in her pre-election Budget, which technically is a vote on account and popularly termed an interim Budget, will seek Parliament’s nod for a grant in advance to meet the central government’s essential expenditure for the first four months of the new fiscal year that starts in April. A new government elected after the April/May general elections will present the full Budget, likely in July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s last Budget before the general elections is widely expected to contain a mix of measures for the economy and electorally significant segments like farmers and women.