The Union Budget for the fiscal year 2026–27 will be presented on Sunday, February 1, marking a rare instance of the Budget being tabled on a weekend. The dates for the Budget Session were finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
According to sources, the Budget Session will commence on January 28, with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of Parliament. The Economic Survey will be laid before both Houses on January 29, followed by the presentation of the Union Budget two days later.
This will be the first time in recent years that the Union Budget is presented on a Sunday. Since 2017–18, the government has maintained the convention of presenting the Budget on February 1. In the past decade, there have been three occasions—2015–16, 2016–17 and 2025–26—when the Budget was presented on a Saturday. Stock exchanges have indicated that a special trading session may be considered if the Budget is presented on a Sunday.
The FY27 Budget will also be a significant milestone for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as it will be her ninth consecutive Union Budget. She has already surpassed the record of C D Deshmukh, who presented seven successive Budgets. If she presents the Budget for FY28 as well, Sitharaman will equal the record of Morarji Desai, who presented 10 Budgets across two stints as finance minister.
Among recent finance ministers, P Chidambaram presented nine Budgets, while Pranab Mukherjee presented eight during their respective tenures, underscoring Sitharaman’s place among India’s longest-serving finance ministers in terms of Budget presentations.
