Bengaluru, 5 March

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka said on Thursday  that the State government is expected to borrow Rs 1.15 lakh crore and is likely to impose fresh taxes on the people during the State budget which will be present on 6 March.

He said the Budget would have nothing new, adding that its highlights would be criticism of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes ('Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti, 'Yuva Nidhi' and 'Anna Bhagya').

“While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reduced the tax burden in the Union Budget, Siddaramaiah is known for imposing taxes on people. He imposes about four taxes a month and has already introduced 36 taxes, and is now looking for ways to impose more,” Ashoka said. “By the end of the Chief Minister’s term, the State’s total debt will probably exceed Rs 6 lakh crore.”

Claiming that Siddaramaiah’s borrowing equal those of 12 or 13 former chief ministers combined, Ashoka said that Basavaraj Bommai who was CM before the Congress came to power, presented a “surplus budget,” without excessive borrowings.

He also dismissed the CM's claim that the government had achieved 90 per cent of the promises made inthe previous Budget. “The fact is that not even 9 per cent has been achieved. I have evidence for it,” he said.

Ashoka further alleged that the government had also failed in tax collection, achieving only 48 per cent of the target, and had released less than 40 per cent of the allocated funds to some departments.

Notably, as per the 2025-26 Budget Estimates, the State's total liabilities by the end of March 2026 are projected at Rs 7,64,655 crore, which constitutes 24.91 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), the government has said.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Bengaluru is likely to get a significant portion of the Budget’s allocation – primarily for its infrastructural woes. The government has also been prioritising several projects – including the tunnel road project, Namma Metro expansion and the Bengaluru Business Corridor.

With water shortages likely and the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) polls scheduled for later in the summer, the Congress may look to boost confidence, as Shivakumar has publicly denounced the “garbage mafia”.

Shivakumar has also been vocal about irrigation projects, including the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply, Cauvery Phase 6 dam, and the Upper Krishna Project Phase 3 project and the Tungabhadra Dam.

Several of these projects would likely be framed as development to the Kalyan Karnataka region.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that that Siddaramaiah is likely to increase the excise revenue target from Rs.40,000 crore to around Rs.45,000 crore amid good revenue collection by the excise department.

BILLS

Several Bills, including an amendment to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, aimed at allowing vehicles used for illegal transport of cattle to be released on an indemnity bond, and the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Place of Gathering) Bill, 2025, which was referred to a select committee, are likely to be tabled during the session.