Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 29 (UNI) Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal will present the State Budget for 2026–27 in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, marking the twelfth budget of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This will be the sixth budget presented by Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal. The budget comes just months ahead of the next Assembly elections, raising public and political expectations of welfare-oriented announcements. According to preliminary indications, the budget is expected to place strong emphasis on social welfare measures, including possible salary revisions, enhanced pension benefits, and increased allocations for welfare pension schemes. Further details on fiscal management, revenue projections, and developmental spending are expected to emerge as Assembly debates on the budget continue.