With this presentation, Sitharaman will move closer to the long-standing record set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who delivered 10 budgets across separate stints in office. Desai presented six budgets while serving as finance minister between 1959 and 1964, followed by four more during the 1967–1969 period.
Among her predecessors, P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee presented nine and eight budgets respectively, each serving under different prime ministers.
Even so, Sitharaman already holds a distinct record, having delivered the highest number of budgets consecutively, with nine in a row under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She was appointed India’s first full-time woman finance minister in 2019 after Modi secured a second term. Following his return to power for a third term in 2024, Sitharaman continued to oversee the finance ministry.
To date, she has presented eight consecutive budgets, including the interim Budget in February 2024.
