New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will present her ninth consecutive Budget Sunday, is the longest-serving Finance Minister to hold the post continuously.
Sitharaman took charge of the Finance Ministry May 31, 2019, and has steered the economy through the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical turmoil, making India the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
Sitharaman completed six years and eight months in office on January 31, 2026. On February 1, she will present a record ninth budget in a row.
Ahead of the Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Sitharaman presenting the Union Budget for the ninth consecutive time “will be recorded as a matter of pride in India’s parliamentary history”.
Former prime minister Morarji Desai had presented the Union Budget on 10 occasions, while P Chidambaram presented the Budget nine times, but not for consecutive years.
The other longest-serving Finance Minister at a stretch was C D Deshmukh, who took charge of the Ministry on June 1, 1950, and remained in office for about six years and two months.
Manmohan Singh, known for pushing economic liberalisation, was Finance Minister for about five years between June 21, 1990, and June 16, 1996.
Later as Prime Minister, Singh held the additional charge of Finance portfolio for a brief period once in 2008 and again in 2012.
P Chidambaram served as Finance Minister for about eight years, but in four separate stints.
The others who steered the Ministry for long time, but non-consecutive stints, include Morarji Desai (about 7 years 9 months), Pranab Mukherjee (6 years 4 months), Arun Jaitley (4 years 8 months), Y B Chavan (4 years 3 months) and Yashwant Sinha (4 years 4 months).
The first Finance Minister of Independent India was R K Shanmukham Chetty.
PTI
