How poll-bound states stand to gain from Budget despite no specific proposals for them

Five states scheduled to go for Assembly elections this year are expected to gain from several region- and sector-linked initiatives in manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture, even though the Union Budget did not make explicit state-wise proposals for them. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman framed the measures as part of a nationally applied development strategy, with schemes designed to be accessed by all states through challenge-mode funding and reform-linked criteria. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry go to polls in 2026. Of these, only Assam and Puducherry are currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while the other three politically significant states—Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala—are governed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress and the Left Democratic Front respectively. The budget outlined a range of sectoral corridors, industrial clusters and city-focused growth models that are likely to benefit states such as Tamil ...