Union Budget 2026: Has Nirmala Sitharaman Become India’s Longest-Serving Finance Minister?
When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rises to present the Union Budget on February 1, she will quietly script history. With this, she becomes the longest-serving finance minister in India to present budgets consecutively, marking her ninth in a row, an achievement unmatched in uninterrupted terms.
Only Morarji Desai comes close. The veteran leader presented the Budget 10 times, the highest ever, but across different tenures and governments, not consecutively. Sitharaman’s streak, therefore, stands apart for its continuity and consistency.
Manmohan Singh, remembered for ushering in the LPG reforms, tabled six budgets during his five-year tenure under P.V. Narasimha Rao and briefly handled the portfolio again in 2008 and 2012 while serving as prime minister.
C.D. Deshmukh, India’s fourth finance minister and a towering economic thinker, also left a deep imprint. Between 1951 and 1956, he presented six full budgets and one interim budget, including two before the first Lok Sabha was formed. After Sitharaman, Deshmukh holds the record for the second-longest tenure as finance minister.
She delivered the longest budget speech in history, 2 hours and 42 minutes, during the 2020-21 Budget. Beyond numbers, she also rewrote traditions. The colonial-era budget briefcase gave way to a Bahi Khata in 2019, symbolising a shift to Indian roots. In 2021, she presented India’s first paperless budget on a tablet, embracing a digital future.
As Sitharaman prepares for her ninth straight budget, her journey reflects more than records, it signals a changing face of India’s fiscal leadership, blending continuity, reform, and symbolism in equal measure.
Only Morarji Desai comes close. The veteran leader presented the Budget 10 times, the highest ever, but across different tenures and governments, not consecutively. Sitharaman’s streak, therefore, stands apart for its continuity and consistency.
The Budget Stalwarts Before Her
Several big names feature on India’s budget honor roll. P. Chidambaram presented the Budget nine times across four separate stints, serving as finance minister for eight years.Manmohan Singh, remembered for ushering in the LPG reforms, tabled six budgets during his five-year tenure under P.V. Narasimha Rao and briefly handled the portfolio again in 2008 and 2012 while serving as prime minister.
C.D. Deshmukh, India’s fourth finance minister and a towering economic thinker, also left a deep imprint. Between 1951 and 1956, he presented six full budgets and one interim budget, including two before the first Lok Sabha was formed. After Sitharaman, Deshmukh holds the record for the second-longest tenure as finance minister.
Sitharaman: Redefining the Role
Since taking oath on May 31, 2019, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sitharaman has spent six years and eight months at the helm of India’s finances. Her first budget came on July 5, 2019, followed by a series of headline-making moments.She delivered the longest budget speech in history, 2 hours and 42 minutes, during the 2020-21 Budget. Beyond numbers, she also rewrote traditions. The colonial-era budget briefcase gave way to a Bahi Khata in 2019, symbolising a shift to Indian roots. In 2021, she presented India’s first paperless budget on a tablet, embracing a digital future.
As Sitharaman prepares for her ninth straight budget, her journey reflects more than records, it signals a changing face of India’s fiscal leadership, blending continuity, reform, and symbolism in equal measure.
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