Story perspectives

Fuel Prices Surge, OMCs Lose INR1,000 Cr, Brent Tops $100

5/25/2026

Summary

OMCs Hike Fuel

OMCs raised petrol to Rs 102.12 and diesel to Rs 95.20 per litre on Monday, the fourth hike in under two weeks.
CNG rose to Rs 81.09 per kg, the third increase in ten days.
OMCs report daily losses over Rs 1,000 crore, shared by Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
Brent crude crossed $100 and rose to $110-115 per barrel because of West Asia tensions and Hormuz disruptions.

Summary

BJP Hikes Fuel

Fuel-price hikes arrived on May 15 as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three of five state and union territory elections, including West Bengal.
Private retailers Nayara Energy, Shell and Jio-BP matched the price hikes, with Nayara adding INR 5 per litre for petrol and INR 3 per litre for diesel.
Opposition parties accused the government of postponing fuel-price revisions until after the elections to protect the ruling party from voter backlash.

Summary

India Raises Fuel

On May 25, India raised petrol and diesel prices, the first rise over INR1 per litre in ten days.
Petrol now costs INR102.12 in Delhi, INR111.21 in Mumbai, INR113.51 in Kolkata and INR107.77 in Chennai.
Kolkata saw the steepest petrol increase of INR2.87 per litre; Mumbai recorded the largest diesel rise of INR2.81, bringing diesel to INR97.83 per litre.
Since May 15, four price tranches have added about INR7.5 per litre to both fuels nationwide.

History

Historical Context

In October 1973 OAPEC announced an oil embargo that pushed the posted price of crude from about $3 to $11.65 per barrel—a rise of nearly 300 %. The shock forced governments, including India’s BJP-led administration, to balance fiscal strain with electoral risk, a pattern echoed in May 2024 when the government and private firms announced steep fuel-price hikes.

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OMCs Hike Fuel

OMCs raised petrol to Rs 102.12 and diesel to Rs 95.20 per litre on Monday, the fourth hike in under two weeks.
CNG rose to Rs 81.09 per kg, the third increase in ten days.
OMCs report daily losses over Rs 1,000 crore, shared by Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
Brent crude crossed $100 and rose to $110-115 per barrel because of West Asia tensions and Hormuz disruptions.

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