Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttar Pradesh if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returns to power, while predicting that the Samajwadi Party (SP) would remain out of government in the state for the next 30 years.
Shah made the remarks while addressing the BJP Uttar Pradesh unit’s State Working Committee meeting.
“This time, when the government comes to power, UCC will be implemented in Uttar Pradesh. UCC has already been implemented in many states,” Shah said.
Targeting SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, the home minister said the party would not return to power for decades.
“Akhilesh Babu, mark my words, your party will not form the government in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years. The people will not forgive even your third generation,” he said.
BJP’s Push for Uniform Civil Code
Shah’s announcement comes amid renewed calls by BJP leaders for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code across the country.
The UCC broadly refers to a common framework of civil laws governing matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, replacing different community-specific personal laws in areas covered by the code.
Uttarakhand has implemented a UCC, while BJP-led governments in other states have also moved towards introducing or examining similar legislation.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently called for the nationwide implementation of the code, arguing that Muslim women were among those most affected by the absence of a common civil law.
Speaking in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district, Sarma said the UCC had already been notified in Assam and should be implemented nationally. He also cited issues such as polygamy in support of the proposal.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol has also described the UCC as the need of the hour. Speaking at the National Legal Dialogue on Article 44 and UCC, organised by the Bharat Collective Foundation, Karol called for a central civil code while acknowledging that differing views existed on the issue.
UCC Debate in West Bengal
The UCC has also featured in political discussions in West Bengal, where Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has backed its implementation.
Adhikari said the state would follow Uttarakhand and Gujarat in introducing a common civil code. He also promised stringent laws against what he termed “love jihad” and “land jihad” within six months.
The West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine a draft UCC for the state.
According to a government notification, the proposed legislation seeks to standardise civil laws across communities in matters including marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.
The UCC was among the BJP’s key poll promises in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
