In Puducherry, a budget without a proper government
The Puducherry government is preparing to present its budget despite having no portfolio allocations for ministers two months after the cabinet was sworn in. The delay has raised concerns about administrative paralysis and political instability within the NDA coalition.
Why it matters
The lack of ministerial accountability and portfolio distribution threatens the governance and fiscal planning of the Union Territory.
W ithin weeks, the Puducherry government will present its first Budget since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power. A maiden Budget is more than a statement of accounts; it is a government’s first declaration of priorities — a blueprint for development, welfare, infrastructure, and governance for the coming year.
Yet Puducherry approaches this constitutional exercise under extraordinary circumstances. Even though more than two months have passed since Chief Minister N. Rangasamy of the All India N. R. Congress (AINRC) took oath on May 13, 2026, the Union Territory (UT) still has no portfolio allocation. Every Minister has taken the oath of office, but none has been assigned responsibility for a department. Moreover, the Legislative Assembly has also not been designated a permanent Speaker. The Budget, thereby, risks becoming the first casualty of an incomplete government.
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