- Party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Born
- 18 August 1959, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
- Education (declared)
- MPhil, Jawaharlal Nehru University (1984)
- In current post since
- 30 May 2019
- Seat
- Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Nirmala Sitharaman was born in Madurai in 1959. She studied economics at Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College and at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she took an MA and an MPhil. After working in London she returned to India in 1991 and was deputy director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies in Hyderabad.
Commerce, Defence, Finance
She joined the BJP and in May 2014 became Minister of State with independent charge of Commerce and Industry. She entered the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and has represented Karnataka since 2016. In September 2017 she became Defence Minister, and on 30 May 2019 Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs. She was reappointed in June 2024, became the longest continuously serving Finance Minister in July 2025, and presented her ninth consecutive budget in February 2026.
Her Rajya Sabha affidavit declares no criminal cases and assets of about Rs 2.5 crore. A Delhi court has issued notice to her on a defamation complaint, and we have not found an outcome.
Career at a glance
- May 2014Minister of State (independent charge), Commerce and Industry
- Jun 2014Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh
- 2016Moves to a Karnataka Rajya Sabha seat
- Sep 2017Minister of Defence
- May 2019Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs
- Jun 2024Reappointed Finance Minister
- Feb 2026Presents her ninth consecutive Union budget
Cases and allegations
An allegation, FIR or chargesheet is not proof of guilt. Only a court can convict, and convictions can be overturned on appeal. Status is as last checked on 2 Nov 2026.
A Delhi court issued notice to her on a criminal defamation complaint by Lipika Mitra, wife of former AAP minister Somnath Bharti. We have not found an outcome or her response. Source
The record card
Facts only, each from a public record. This is not a rating. Affidavit figures are the leader's own sworn declarations at the time of filing.
| Declared criminal cases | 0Rajya Sabha affidavit, Karnataka, 2022 to 2028 term | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Declared assets | Rs 2.51 croreSame affidavit; liabilities of Rs 30.4 lakh in bank loans | Source |
| Consecutive Union budgets | 92019 to 2026 | Source |
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Sources
Photo: Bundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
This profile is built only from public records and attributed reports; read how we make these profiles. If anything here is wrong or out of date, or if you are Nirmala Sitharaman's office and want to respond, write to devv@bharatverseh.com. Every correction is listed in our corrections log.