Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai arrived in the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on February 17 to present the BJP government’s last budget, widely expected to be aimed at pleasing all sections of society.
ADVERTISEMENT
With Assembly elections in Karnataka around the corner and the opposition already making a slew of promises if elected to power in the elections in April-May, Mr. Bommai, who also holds the finance portfolio, is expected to take a no-holds-barred approach in making promises.
Budget outlay will likely cross ₹3 lakh crore, with Karnataka’s economy in resurgence. Mr. Bommai may present a revenue-surplus budget after two years of revenue-deficit budgets under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Bommai had earlier this week tweeted that the State collected a record ₹6,085 crore as GST in January 2023.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to present the budget at 10.15 a.m. When the CM began his presentation, members of the Congress, led by Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, questioned him on ‘unmet promises’ of the last Budget.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited two temples in Bengaluru before heading to Vidhana Soudha on February 17, 2023.
Earlier, Mr. Bommai visited Srikanteshwara temple at R.T. Nagar and the Maruthi temple in Balabrooie, in Bengaluru, before heading to Vidhana Soudha.