Not even 24 days have passed since the election results of 5 states have come and inflation is continuously hurting the pockets of the common man. From petrol-diesel to CNG and edible oil, the price graph seems to be moving upwards everywhere. Why did the prices which were stable during the elections suddenly start increasing? How much more shock is still left? After all, where will this speed stop? Understand complete accounting…

Petrol and Diesel: Box of inflation opened after four years

There was no increase in the prices of petrol and diesel for the last four years. But on May 15, 2026, the prices increased for the first time and then it seemed as if the trend had started. This is the fourth increase in the last 10 days. If we look at the latest figures, on May 25, petrol became costlier by Rs 2.61 per liter and diesel by Rs 2.71 per liter.

After this latest shock, the price of petrol in Delhi has reached Rs 102.12 per liter and the price of diesel has reached Rs 95.20 per liter. The real reason behind these increases is the ongoing geopolitical tension in West Asia. The ongoing conflict between Iran and America has greatly affected the prices of crude oil in the international market. Due to this war, the Indian government tried to protect the general public from the direct impact of the global crisis for 75 days, but during this time the government oil companies were suffering huge losses of about Rs 1,000 crore every day.

LPG: Relief for family members, but trouble for dhaba owners

The government has given big relief to domestic consumers on the LPG cylinder front. There has been no change in the price of 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder and its price in Delhi still remains at Rs 913. But those who run hotels, dhabas or restaurants have been hit hard by inflation. From May 1, 2026, there was a huge one-time increase of Rs 993 in the price of 19 kg commercial cylinder. After this increase, the price of a commercial cylinder in Delhi has increased to Rs 3,071.50.

CNG: Rs 6 per kg in 11 days

There is bad news for those who had turned to CNG to avoid petrol and diesel. On May 26, 2026, the price of CNG was once again increased by Rs 2 per kg, which is the fourth increase within two weeks. After this, the price of CNG in Delhi reached Rs 83.09 per kg. Since May 15, there has been an overall increase of about Rs 6 per kg on CNG. In NCR areas like Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, this price has reached Rs 91.70 per kg.

Edible oil: Inflation is spoiling the kitchen budget

This heat of inflation has now reached your kitchen directly. Edible oil companies are preparing to increase prices by 5 to 10 percent in the month of May itself. In the last few months, companies have already increased prices by Rs 8 to Rs 20 per liter. The reason for this is that due to the cost of crude oil, the demand for biofuel increases, due to which edible oils start being used more in making biodiesel. About 25 percent of edible oil is now being used in making biodiesel, due to which there is a shortage in the market and a rise in prices is being seen.

How much more is left to grow, where will this pace stop?

At present there is no sign of relief. According to Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, even after the current increase, the losses of government oil companies have not been completely eliminated. Even now they are incurring a loss of around Rs 600 crore every day.

Oil companies say that the increase made so far is able to compensate only 10% of their increased losses. In such a situation, it is considered certain that the prices will increase further in the coming 3-4 months. Due to the ongoing tension in West Asia, crude oil prices will continue to fluctuate. Whenever there is any hope of a peace agreement in the region, the prices of crude oil start coming down, but as soon as the talks prove to be inconclusive, uncertainty increases in the market and the prices start skyrocketing again.

Experts believe that there will be pressure on prices in the coming one or two months and they may remain at a high level. But if everything goes well, relief may start coming from July 2026 onwards and prices are expected to be largely normal by the end of the year. Real relief will come only when either the Strait of Hormuz opens completely or a concrete peace agreement is reached between America and Iran.

The government has the option of cutting excise duty, as was done on March 27, but this is a limited and temporary measure. If the global situation does not improve then the common man may have to bear this shock. The opposition has also started cornering the government on this issue and has alleged that the prices were deliberately kept stable during the elections and are being continuously increased as soon as the results are declared.