The Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on Sunday said he did not think there was any problem in presenting the Budget for 2012-13 on schedule in the wake of the announcement of Assembly elections in five states.

“The Union Budget is usually presented on the last date of February. Next year being a leap year, the budget is likely to be placed on February 29. The elections to all the state Assemblies, except in Goa, will be over by that date. So, I don’t think there will be any problem,” he told PTI.

He was responding to a question whether presentation of the general budget would be deferred in view of elections.

Mr Mukherjee, however, said the date for the presentation of the budget will be fixed after discussions at various levels.

The Election Commission yesterday announced the dates for the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

Uttar Pradesh will have polling on February 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23 and 28, while Uttarakhand and Punjab will go to polls on January 30. Manipur will have polls on January 28 and Goa on March 3.

Earlier, Mr Mukherjee called on West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence.

“I have not been able to come to her after her mother’s demise. So I came to see her today,” Mr Mukherjee, who spent about half an hour at the chief minister’s residence, said.

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