Union Budget 2026-27: Will the budget be presented on February 1st or not? Why is there so much suspense?

There is suspense surrounding the exact date on which the Finance Minister will present the budget for the financial year 2025-26 next year. Since 2017, the budget has been presented every year on February 1st at 11 AM. However, this time, February 1st, 2026 falls on a Sunday, leaving uncertainty about whether the budget will be presented on that day.

According to sources, it is yet to be decided whether the budget will be presented on Saturday, January 31st, or Monday, February 2nd, or even on Sunday, February 1st. It's worth noting that the tradition of presenting the budget on February 1st was started by the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in 2017.

When will the budget be presented?
This year, 2025, February 1st was a Saturday, and the interim budget was presented on that day. ​​The budget has been presented on a Saturday on previous occasions as well. However, this is the first time that February 1st falls on a Sunday. Government offices and the stock market are closed on Sundays. This year, February 1st also coincides with Sant Ravidas Jayanti. Therefore, there is a possibility that the budget will be presented on January 31st or February 2nd. According to sources, the final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.

Has the date been changed before?
This is not the first time that the budget date has fallen on a weekend. Even when this has happened before, the date has rarely been changed. In fact, the Government of India has often scheduled the budget presentation on a Saturday to align with the parliamentary calendar. The budget has been presented on a weekend several times before. For example, last year, Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025-26 on a Saturday. Before that, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the budget on February 28, 2015, which was a Saturday. In 2016, he also presented the budget on February 27, which was a Saturday. ​​The budget was also presented on March 3, 2001 (Saturday) and February 28, 2004 (Saturday).

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