Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will present the State Budget on March 6, with 15 Bills planned for introduction. (File Photo) Maharashtra Budget 2026 Live Updates: The Maharashtra legislature’s Budget Session will begin on Monday. It will be the first in the state’s history without a Leader of Opposition in both the Assembly and the Legislative Council. The posts have remained vacant since the 2024 Assembly elections, as no opposition party met the 10 per cent mark requirement.
15 bills to be introduced in the Budget session: The Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that 15 Bills will be introduced during the Budget Session. All issues and suggestions expected by the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be incorporated in the upcoming State Budget, according to a release by the Maharashtra government. While providing relief to the common people, financial discipline will also be maintained, and strict measures will be taken if necessary, it said. The Budget will be presented on March 6.
MVA calls it a threat to democracy: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has termed the absence of LoPs a “threat to democratic norms”, arguing it weakens institutional checks and balances amid the BJP-led Mahayuti’s commanding majority. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut described it as a “blot on democracy”, while MLA Bhaskar Jadhav accused the ruling coalition of deliberately undermining democratic processes despite his party having 20 MLAs in the assembly.
The Maharashtra government has listed 15 legislative Bills for the ongoing Budget Session, including 10 new Bills, three ordinances that must be replaced within the stipulated period and two Bills, which were introduced in the Winter Session last year.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash last month, was "the best CM the state never had".
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the late NCP leader as an "elder brother" and said he, Fadnavis and Pawar were like an "equilateral triangle" and were close to each other.
On January 28, Deputy CM Pawar and four others died in a plane crash in Pune's Baramati town.
In a glowing tribute to Pawar in the assembly on the first day of the legislature's budget session, Fadnavis said the state has lost a towering leader and administrator. (PTI)
Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat on Monday outlined an ambitious roadmap for economic growth, infrastructure expansion and social welfare, saying the state aims to advance under the "Viksit Maharashtra" vision for 2047.
Addressing the joint sitting of both Houses of the state legislature at the start of the Budget Session, he said the government has prepared a comprehensive strategy to accelerate industrial growth, attract large-scale investments and generate employment.
Maharashtra continues to remain a preferred destination for foreign direct investment (FDI), contributing over 13.5 per cent to the country's GDP.
(PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash last month, was "the best CM the state never had".
Maharashtra has lost a towering leader and administrator, he said in a glowing tribute to Ajit Pawar in the state assembly on the first day of the legislature's budget session.
Ajit Pawar's shocking demise has created a political vacuum that will never be fulfilled, the CM said hailing the NCP leader, whose party is a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti in the state.
"Ajitdada (as Pawar was fondly called) and I share the same birthdate, but he was 11 years senior to me in age. He was my dada in the real sense. Ajitdada was the best CM Maharashtra never had," Fadnavis noted.
He said Ajit Pawar became deputy chief minister a record six times and had the capacity to lead the state.
There is political arithmetic to various decisions. Destiny would have fulfilled his wish sometime. "Ajitdada was always punctual, but this time his timing went wrong," Fadnavis said, referring to the plane crash near Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28.
(PTI)
With the Maharashtra budget session commencing Monday, February 23, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has a lot on his plate: from curtailing the rising debt that has crossed Rs 9 lakh crore to ensuring a growth rate above 10 per cent Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to achieve the ambitious goal of a USD trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
Fadnavis will present the 2026-27 state budget on March 6, unveiling a concrete road map toward Maharashtra’s ambitious one-trillion-dollar economy, in what promises to be a tightrope walk as the BJP-led Mahayuti government aims to retain poll promises amidst severe financial constraints and pressure to inculcate fiscal discipline.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday described the denial of the LoP post as a "blot on democracy", claiming the constitutional role of the Opposition to hold the government accountable was being undermined.
The vacancy has persisted since the 2024 assembly elections, in which no single opposition party crossed the conventional 10 per cent strength required for recognition of the LoP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav accused the ruling coalition of arrogance and deliberately weakening democratic processes by not facilitating LoP appointments in either House.
(PTI)
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mumbai ahead of the Budget Session of the Assembly.
After the demise of Finance Minister and DCM Ajit Pawar, CM Devendra Fadnavis is to present the 2026-27 budget of the state.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js#watch | Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mumbai ahead of the Budget Session of the Assembly.
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2026
After the demise of Finance Minister and DCM Ajit Pawar, CM Devendra Fadnavis is to present the… pic.twitter.com/3nWISuM92a
(ANI)
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
