Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar to present state budget in Assembly today

Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar will present the State Budget for 2025-26 in the state assembly today.

This will make Ajit Pawar the Finance Minister to present the highest number of budgets (11) after Sheshrao Wankhede, who presented the budget 13 times. Ajit Pawar will hold the second-highest record with 11 times, followed by Jayant Patil (10 times) and Sushilkumar Shinde (9 times), the press release further mentioned.

Notably, this will be the first budget for the newly-formed Mahayuti government and Pawar's 11th Budget as Finance Minister.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that Maharashtra Budget 2025 is for the people.

"The budget is for the people, this government is for the people. We worked for the people in these two and a half years... We worked for the progress of the people, for the change in their lives. Similar work will be done in the next five years," Deputy Chief Shinde said.

In 2022, Ajit Pawar presented the budget on March 11, the death anniversary of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, dedicating it to his bravery, sacrifice, and commitment to Swarajya. He has also presented budgets focusing on agriculture, industry, transportation, healthcare, and human resource development, a press release from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said.

During the Covid-19 crisis, when several states faced financial difficulties, Pawar's fiscal prudence and discipline were appreciated.

Farmers, laborers, women, Dalits, tribals, students, and youth have always been at the center of Ajit Pawar's budget. In 2021, he presented the budget on International Women's Day, dedicating it to the women of Maharashtra, the press release said.

Last year's pre-election budget was inclusive and revolutionary. The public-friendly and popular decisions announced in that budget played a major role in bringing the Mahayuti Government back to power, it added.

The budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature commenced on March 3, with the Governor addressing the joint session of both houses at Vidhan Bhavan. The budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature is scheduled to conclude on March 26.