Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also serves as the Finance Minister, will present the Budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year today, marking the first budget of the BJP-led Delhi government in 26 years.
Ahead of the budget presentation, CM Gupta is scheduled to visit the Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place before heading to the Delhi Secretariat for a Cabinet meeting. Unlike previous governments, which held meetings at the Assembly, Cabinet meetings will now take place at the Secretariat. Following the meeting, Gupta will proceed to the Vidhan Sabha to present the budget.
This Budget Session holds particular significance as it follows the BJP’s victory in the 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, which ended the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) rule and brought the party back to power after 27 years.
Earlier on Monday, CM Gupta tabled a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), highlighting financial mismanagement and operational inefficiencies under the previous AAP government. The report pointed to a decline in the number of DTC buses and significant financial losses, prompting BJP MLA Harish Khurana to criticize AAP’s handling of public transport.
Khurana noted that while AAP had promised to add 11,000 buses, the number of DTC buses dropped from 4,344 in 2015 to 3,937. He also alleged that DTC’s financial losses surged to ₹8,498.33 crore, with operating income falling from ₹914 crore to ₹558 crore under AAP’s governance. Additionally, he accused AAP of failing to replace aging buses despite having allocated funds for procurement.
The Budget Session, which began on Monday, is set to run from March 24 to March 28, with the possibility of an extension if necessary. Key financial and policy matters are expected to be discussed during this period.