New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday delivered her ninth consecutive Union Budget speech in the Lok Sabha, speaking for 1 hour and 25 minutes. The address outlined the government’s fiscal roadmap for 2026–27, detailing key spending plans, tax proposals and policy priorities. As always, the Budget presentation stood out as one of the most closely watched events on India’s economic calendar.
How Budget Speeches Have Evolved Over The Years
Over the years, Union Budget speeches have evolved in both tone and content, reflecting changing economic priorities and new challenges facing the country. While every Budget attracts attention for its policy announcements and fiscal strategy, some speeches have also made headlines for their length either for being unusually long or surprisingly brief.
Longest To Shortest: How Recent Budget Speeches Compare
Here’s how recent Union Budget speeches rank in terms of duration, from longest to shortest:
2020: 162 minutes
2019: 137 minutes
2021: 110 minutes
2022: 92 minutes
2023: 87 minutes
2024 (July): 85 minutes
2026: 85 minutes (tied with July 2024)
2025: 77 minutes
2024 (February Interim): 56 minutes
The 2026 Budget speech matched the duration of the July 2024 address, placing it among the mid-length presentations in recent years.
Part B Takes Centre Stage In 2026 Budget
In a significant shift from long-standing practice, Nirmala Sitharaman used Part B of her 2026 Union Budget speech as a major platform to outline India’s broader economic strategy. Traditionally, Part A carries most of the policy substance, while Part B focuses mainly on tax proposals and procedural changes. This year, however, Part B moved beyond routine fiscal measures.
Instead of limiting it to tax announcements, the Finance Minister used the section to present a wider vision for the economy balancing immediate priorities with long-term structural reforms. The expanded Part B effectively became the centrepiece of the speech, laying out India’s development roadmap and policy direction for the years ahead.//
In the past, a few finance ministers have also had long tenures presenting the Budget. Morarji Desai delivered it ten times, while P. Chidambaram presented nine Budgets. However, unlike the current streak, neither of them presented the Budget in consecutive years.
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