Mumbai

Mounting public debt, crucial Rajya Sabha elections and the political fallout of the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are expected to dominate the month-long Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature beginning February 23.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state Budget for 2026–27 on March 6. Political observers say the session will test the government’s ability to balance fiscal expansion with debt management, as Maharashtra’s outstanding liabilities are estimated to have crossed Rs 9 lakh crore.

The session will open with the Governor’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses, followed by a condolence motion for the late deputy chief minister. Despite the financial strain, the government has reiterated its commitment to its long-term goal of transforming Maharashtra into a one-trillion-dollar economy.

Significant budgetary allocations are expected for major infrastructure and connectivity projects, including the Pune–Nashik high-speed rail corridor, expansion of metro rail networks, development linked to the proposed Vadhvan Port in Palghar district, and the Mumbai water metro project.

The government is also likely to continue funding flagship welfare initiatives such as the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides eligible women with monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500.

With regions such as Marathwada and Vidarbha facing erratic climate patterns — including unseasonal rainfall, flash floods and heat waves — the state may announce a “climate-resilient agriculture” package to support farmers, according to observers.

The Opposition, meanwhile, is expected to corner the government over what it calls a widening gap between industrial investment commitments and actual job creation. It is also likely to question “election-oriented spending” at the cost of long-term fiscal prudence.

Within the Opposition, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has demanded a transparent probe into the January 28 air crash that claimed Ajit Pawar’s life, with some party leaders pressing for a CBI inquiry. The issue is expected to figure prominently during the proceedings.

The session will also mark the first legislative engagement of Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s wife and the state’s Deputy Chief Minister. She is not currently a member of either House and is expected to contest the forthcoming by-election from Baramati, which Ajit Pawar represented.

Notably, this will be the second consecutive session without a recognised Leader of the Opposition in either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council.

The Budget session will coincide with the Rajya Sabha elections, with seven seats from Maharashtra falling vacant. These include the seat held by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. Given the current numbers, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is expected to secure only one Rajya Sabha seat.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said Sharad Pawar is keen to contest again, Aaditya Thackeray has maintained that the arithmetic favours his party over its MVA allies, the Congress and NCP (SP).

In the 288-member Assembly, Shiv Sena (UBT) has 20 MLAs, followed by the Congress with 16 and NCP (SP) with 10, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance enjoys a comfortable strength of 232 legislators. Two Assembly seats have fallen vacant following the deaths of BJP MLA Shivajirao Kardile and Ajit Pawar.

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is also due to complete his term in the Legislative Council in the coming months, adding another layer of political negotiations to an already eventful session.

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A senior Congress leader said the Congress and Sena (UBT) could secure one seat each in the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council, depending on final negotiations. However, he added that the future course of the 10 NCP (SP) MLAs remained uncertain, as merger talks between the two NCP factions were underway before Ajit Pawar’s demise.