February 1 Budget fine, don’t talk of plans, work done in poll states: EC to Govt

The decision came late Monday night, barely a week ahead of the Budget’s scheduled presentation.

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The poll panel also advised the state governments in the five states to follow norms and not present a full-fledged state Budget but take a vote-on-account instead.

The Election Commission Monday permitted the government to present the Union Budget on February 1 on two conditions: the Finance Minister should not announce new schemes specific to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur; and, the government should not, in the Budget speech, highlight its achievements in the five poll-bound states.

The decision came late Monday night, barely a week ahead of the Budget’s scheduled presentation. The poll panel also advised the state governments in the five states to follow norms and not present a full-fledged state Budget but take a vote-on-account instead.

WATCH VIDEO | Election Commission Puts Conditions For Government To Present Budget On February 1

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Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a PIL that wanted to restrain the Centre from making budget declarations before the assembly polls in the five states.

“Central budget is Central budget… it has nothing to do with states. Not just legislative powers but the executive powers are also different as far as the Centre and states are concerned. This has been well-defined in the Constitution,” a bench led by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar said.

The debate over the Budget calendar snowballed into a full-blown controversy after a delegation of Opposition parties met all three Election Commissioners in the first week of January. The delegation, led by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, had urged the poll panel to prevent the government from presenting the Budget on February 1, just three days before the start of elections. The delegation said that the government may announce populist measures to gain an unfair advantage in the elections. Elections begin on February 4 and the results will be announced on March 11.

Ritika Chopra

Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More

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