- By Shibra Arshad
- Sun, 01 Feb 2026 05:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Union Budget 2026: The Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, on Sunday tabled the country's annual budget for the financial year 2026-27, as she presented her ninth consecutive budget speech. Being the world's largest democracy, free and fair elections are India's key USP and requirements and hence the expenditure on the Election Commission. Keeping the need to strengthen the Election Commission of India with enhanced sources in view, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has increased the ECI's budget by 25 per cent ahead of the key assembly elections in the country.
The budget allocation for the Election Commission was increased by 25.33 per cent from Rs 304.98 crore in 2025/26 to Rs 382.22 crore for the financial year 2026-27.
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Of the total allocated budget of 382.22 crore for FY 2027, Rs 367.69 crore has been set aside for election-related expenditure, while the rest will be used for administrative and operational expenses.
The increase in funding for the election commission came amid the poll preparation for key assembly elections over the next two years. The assembly elections will take place in Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Assam, and Kerala this year, and in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in 2027.
Presently, the Election Commission is under fire by the opposition for alleged partiality in the poll procedure to benefit the ruling BJP.
Union Budget 2026: NCRTC Budget Cut By 25%
On the other hand, the annual budget allocation for the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) was reduced by 25 per cent for the financial year 2027, as it has been allocated over Rs 2,000 crore, marking a significant reduction from the previous year's outlay.
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The company, tasked with implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, has been allotted Rs 2,200 crore for the coming financial year, compared with Rs 2,918 crore in 2025–26 and Rs 3,855 crore in 2024–25.