SRINAGAR: The Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will commence on Monday, February 2, with an address by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to the House at 10 am, marking the formal opening of the session.
The Lieutenant Governor’s address will be followed by a multi-day discussion on the Motion of Thanks, along with the government’s reply. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the Union Territory’s Budget for 2026–27 on February 6.
This will be the second budget of the National Conference-led government since it assumed office on October 16, 2024, ending nearly six years of central rule. According to the Assembly calendar issued by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, the Budget Session will conclude on April 4, 2026.
The session will be held in three phases. The first phase will take place before the start of Ramzan, expected around February 18 or 19, subject to the sighting of the moon. The remaining two phases will be held after Eid-ul-Fitr, during March and April. The Assembly will have five working days in March and four in April.
Following the budget presentation, a general discussion on the Budget will be held, after which the government will respond. The April phase will include Private Members’ Bills and resolutions alongside government business.
Nearly 1,500 questions have been submitted by MLAs for the session. In the 90-member House, 83 MLAs are eligible to raise questions, with each allowed to ask 20 questions—10 starred and 10 unstarred.
After the Lieutenant Governor’s address, the Speaker will lay a copy of the address on the table of the House and announce the panel of chairmen. The first day’s proceedings will conclude with obituary references, including tributes to Ghulam Mohammad Khan, former MLA, and Khwaja Ghulam Mohammad Lone, former MLC.
Ahead of the session, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators held a meeting on Sunday, attended by all 29 MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, to finalise their strategy and identify issues to be raised during the session.
The government is expected to face opposition scrutiny over alleged delays in fulfilling budget commitments, including the provision of 200 units of free electricity per month to families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and the pace of recruitment to vacant public sector posts.
The Budget Session, spread over 62 days for the first time, will include a 35-day recess from February 20 to March 26 due to the month of Ramzan and the subsequent Eid festival. As per the provisional calendar, the fifth session of the Assembly will have 22 sittings.
After the presentation of the Annual Financial Statement for 2026–27 and the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure for 2025–26 on February 6, the general discussion on the Budget will begin on February 7, resume on February 9, and conclude on February 10, when the Chief Minister will reply.
The passage of the Budget is scheduled after the recess, with March 27 reserved for Appropriation Bills. The Chief Minister had presented his maiden Budget of Rs 1.12 lakh crore for the Union Territory on March 7, 2025.
