‘Kerala got many Padmas…will we get more funds?’ Shashi Tharoor on Union Budget expectations | WATCH

New Delhi: As the Union Budget 2026-27 approaches, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said Kerala is hopeful of receiving greater support from the Centre, especially after the state figured prominently in this year’s Padma Awards list.

Speaking on Thursday about his expectations from the Budget, Tharoor admitted that predicting outcomes in an election year is never easy. “Difficult to say in an election year, you can always predict certain things, and in this particular middle of the season, it's difficult to say what will happen,” he said. However, he added that Kerala could certainly use more central funding and raised an interesting point about the state’s strong showing in this year’s civilian honours.

“I think we are all very expectant. Kerala got several Padma awards, will we get a higher percentage of allocations for our state? I don't know,” Tharoor remarked, adding that the state hopes for greater financial support from the Centre in the upcoming Budget.

Kerala emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Padma Awards 2026, with eight recipients from the state. Notably, three of the five Padma Vibhushan awardees — the highest civilian honour this year — are from Kerala.

Out of the 131 Padma awardees announced for 2026, around 29 percent belong to states heading into Assembly elections this summer, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. This has sparked speculation in political circles over whether recognition through national honours is also part of broader electoral outreach strategies.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2026-27 on Sunday, marking her ninth consecutive Budget, a milestone praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a moment of pride in India’s parliamentary history.