After Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that a Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in all NDA-ruled States before 2029, key NDA partners TDP and Shiv Sena on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) backed the BJP on the issue.

Another BJP ally JD(U) gave a guarded response, saying it will study the Uniform Civil Code Bill and will “not oppose it for no reason”.

The support of the TDP with 16 Lok Sabha MPs, the Shiv Sena with 13 and the JD(U) with 12 is crucial for the Narendra Modi government. While the TDP is in power in Andhra Pradesh along with Jana Sena and BJP, the BJP shares power with the JD(U) in Bihar and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

TDP’s Andhra Pradesh president P. Srinivasa Rao said in Amaravati that it is bound by the Union Home Minister’s statement on UCC as an NDA partner.

“Yes, I have seen our Union Home Minister’s statement on UCC and as NDA partners we are bound to go by his statement,” Mr. Rao, who represents Gajuwaka assembly constituency, said.

Though there is criticism over UCC, he noted that it “strengthens the unity of the country and doesn’t show much gender bias”.

“And critics, of course, some say that it (UCC) infringes on religious freedom. Our country is culturally diverse. But we always think that this UCC will strengthen and unify the country,” he said.

“So, we will be going by our home minister’s statement being NDA partners,” he added.

CPI(M) state secretary V. Srinivas Rao, however, claimed that the BJP is resorting to UCC politics to divert the country’s attention as it is “facing heat from the new generation (Gen Z) due to unemployment” and other reasons, especially in the backdrop of the recent Jantar Mantar student protest movement.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary also said the JD(U) will study the Uniform Civil Code Bill and will “not oppose it for no reason” if provisions are unexceptionable.

The former state JD(U) president made the statement while addressing a press conference at the party office. He was replying to queries about the political turbulence that has ensued after Shah’s assertion that UCC will be implemented “across 22 NDA-ruled states by 2029”.

On Monday (September 14, 2026), senior JD(U) leader and Phulwari Sharif MLA Shyam Rajak had spoken out strongly against the UCC, claiming that he was expressing a view in line with the stand taken earlier by party supremo Nitish Kumar, who had told the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, “we will support the Bill in Parliament but are opposed to its implementation in Bihar”.

Mr. Chaudhary, however, maintained that “there is no reason to make haste in the matter” and pointed out that “our national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha has said that he will hold talks on the issue with none other than the Union home minister”.

“As of now, we are not aware of the details of the legislation on UCC. Let it be placed before us. If we find there is nothing objectionable, why shall we oppose it without any reason? And if there are points of concern, these will be conveyed to the Union Home Minister,” he said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde backed Shah on the UCC issue, saying Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had envisioned the common law for all.

“Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray’s vision was ‘one country, one law’ with equal justice for all. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also stated the same position on UCC,” Mr. Shinde said.

He added that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra remains positive about the Uniform Civil Code and will make a definitive decision at an appropriate time.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday (September 14, 2026) said the State government would implement the UCC once the committee preparing the draft bill submitted its report.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the BJP should introduce the UCC Bill in Parliament if it has the numbers to pass it, instead of pushing it through individual states, and claimed the BJP’s allies also have reservations.

“If you have the numbers, bring it to Parliament. Why are you doing it through different states? Anyway, within their own NDA, not everyone agrees with this. According to the news, Janata Dal (United) raised their hands and said this won’t be implemented in Bihar,” Mr. Abdullah told reporters here.

The National Conference leader said the BJP should not bring the UCC “through the backdoor”. “The way their own allies are not in favour of it, I don’t think they will be able to get it passed in Parliament. That is perhaps why they are taking this route,” he added.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said in Bhopal that if the NDA constituent parties such as the JD(U) and TDP have “the slightest disagreement” with the BJP’s ideology, they should oppose the Uniform Civil Code.

The UCC was being introduced in various states with the aim of “targeting” India’s 18 crore Muslims, and the real objective of the BJP and RSS was to “dismantle” the protections guaranteed (to religious minorities) under Articles 25, 26, and 29 of the Constitution, he alleged.

Owaisi said it would be a different matter if the NDA allies had aligned themselves completely with BJP’s ideology. “But if they still have even the slightest difference with the BJP, they should oppose it (UCC),” he said.

Published – September 16, 2026 04:10 am IST

Idris Naikwadi is one of the two Muslim legislators of the party. File. (Photo: Facebook/Ajit Pawar)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. File

It was a sultry day on July 3, 2021, and the political temperature in the hill State of Uttarakhand was equally hot as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set to announce a new Chief Minister, third one in the past four months. Names of bigwigs were making rounds in the political corridors and channel rooms as it was being anticipated that the saffron party would choose a popular figure for a stable government in the politically unstable State. But the party high command in Delhi followed its precedent of throwing surprises and chose the then 45-year-old Khatima MLA, Pushkar Singh Dhami, for the top job.

Equally surprised by the announcement like others, Mr. Dhami termed himself mukhya sevak (chief servant) as he expressed gratitude to the party leadership for nurturing him as a politician and electing ‘a two-time MLA’ as the youngest CM of the State. Ever since, his rise has been steady.

Last week, under Mr. Dhami’s leadership, Uttarakhand became the first Indian State to roll out the controversial uniform civil code, almost a year after the State assembly passed the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2024.

Born on September 15, 1975 in a remote village in Pithoragarh district of the undivided Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Dhami became the first in the family to complete post-graduation. He finished a law degree in Lucknow University, followed by a PG in human resource management and a PG diploma in public administration. He started going to the Shakha of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) while being a student at the university.

In Lucknow, Mr. Dhami met Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the second Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, who lastly served as the Governor of Maharashtra. The two shared the same caste, Thakur, and hailed from the Kumaon region of present-day Uttarakhand. Mr Koshiyari told The Hindu that he, in the very first meeting, saw a ‘leader’ in Mr. Dhami’s personality who had joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP, the student wing of the RSS) in the early 1990s. BJP insiders call Mr. Koshiyari the political guru of Mr. Dhami, but the former CM humbly denies the same.

Path to power

Between 2002 and 2012, Mr. Dhami worked for the party in the back-end, and patiently waited for the right opportunity to come to the forefront. BJP leaders who are in the current Cabinet of Mr. Dhami had denied him a ticket in 2007, says a party insider. The party, however, made him president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM, the youth wing of the BJP) for two terms from 2002 to 2008.

It was in 2012 that Mr. Dhami became an MLA for the first time, from the Khatima constituency. Ever since, he has remained one of the 70 lawmakers in the Uttarakhand Assembly.

After he was chosen as the Chief Minister, Mr. Dhami knew that the journey ahead would not be smooth as his predecessors failed to finish their tenures for various reasons, including the resentment of the party cadre and legislators. Known for adapting to the ‘good qualities’ of the seniors, Mr. Dhami became another N.D. Tiwari (the third CM of Uttarakhand) who was famous for “meeting and greeting” both the party and opposition leaders, says a BJP functionary.

His people-friendly approach earned him admirers and supporters and strengthened his position in Delhi. In the 2022 elections, even after Mr. Dhami lost his own constituency, he kept the Chief Minister’s post, becoming the first leader in the history of the hill State to get two consecutive terms. Later, he contested and won from Champawat.

In his tenure of over three-and-a-half years, he brought stringent laws such as anti-cheating law, Uttarakhand Public and Private Property Damage Recovery (Ordinance) Act and now the much talked-about Uniform Civil Code. Mr. Dhami says its just a start and he will continue walking down the path shown by the party, which has “fulfilled” its promises of Ram temple construction in Ayodhya, revocation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir, among others.

Guwahati:

Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to implement UCC, but the Chief Minister of another hill state has ruled out a similar step. The implementation of Uniform Civil Code is neither practical nor appropriate, given the country’s diverse cultural and tribal communities, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said today.

He, however, acknowledged that certain aspects of civil laws could be made uniform while protecting the rights of indigenous communities.

Pointing at Uttarakhand, which became the first state to implement the UCC while excluding tribal customs from its purview, Mr Sangma said in a country as diverse as India, a Uniform Civil Code is not viable. 

His statement comes amid growing debates on the UCC, with Assam expressing interest in following Uttarakhand’s lead in implementing the code.

“A Uniform Civil Code, as a concept of making sure that everything becomes uniform, is not possible in India,” Mr Sangma said.

“There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” he added.

To explain the situation, he further added: “If a bill at the national or state level were to declare that the entire country should adopt a matrilineal system, Meghalaya would support that, because we are a matrilineal society. It all depends on the content of the bill – what aspects are being made uniform and in what way”.

“For us, as a state government, we are very clear. The Uniform Civil Code is not on our agenda. We respect the diverse identities of our tribal communities, and their traditional practices must be protected,” he added. 

Mr Sangma had made it clear earlier also that his government will not support the UCC.

Two years ago, a tribal council in Meghalaya unanimously passed a resolution to oppose the implementation of the UCC in areas within its jurisdiction.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), aiming to simplify and standardize personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance.
The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.

Underscoring that the Uniform Civil Code or UCC will strengthen the spirit of democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday hailed it as “Secular Civil Code”, a day after Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the law. 

“Yesterday, Uttarakhand became the state to implement the Uniform Civil Code…I congratulate the Uttarakhand government for this. It will strengthen the spirit of democracy and the Constitution,” said the PM after inaugurating the 38th National Games in Dehradun.

“UCC has same team spirit as sports, discrimination against none,” said the Prime Minister.

The introduction of a Uniform Civil Code to replace laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance has been a longstanding goal of PM Modi and his party, the BJP. Muslim leaders and critics say the UCC challenges Islamic laws on divorce, marriage and inheritance.

On Monday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said one state has made Uniform Civil Code a reality and it is only a matter of time that the “entire country will have similar legislation”.

“Some people, out of ignorance, are criticizing the Uniform Civil Code. How can we criticize something which is mandate of the Indian Constitution, an ordainment emanating from our founding fathers, something that has to bring about gender equality?” the Vice President said yesterday.

In December, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Rajya Sabha that every state with a BJP government would bring in the Civil Code the way it was done in Uttarakhand. The promise of the UCC was included in the BJP’s election manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Other BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have signalled plans to bring in their own civil codes.

New Delhi:

Uttarakhand will implement a Uniform Civil Code from January 27, laying a framework for uniform marriage, divorce, property, inheritance and adoption laws for all citizens. It will become the second state after Goa to have a uniform legal framework for citizens.

Implementation of the Code comes almost a year after the Bill was passed in the state Assembly, one of the BJPs key electoral promises in the 2022 polls. Among the clauses is the mandatory registration of live-in relationships and parental consent for live-in relationships involving individuals under the age of 21 years. The rule will apply to “any resident of Uttarakhand… in a live-in relationship outside the State”.

Failure to submit live-in relationship declarations, or providing false information, could land a person in jail for three months, attract a fine of Rs 25,000, or both. Even a month’s delay in registration could trigger a jail term of up to three months, a fine of Rs 10,000, or both.

Further, marriages will need to be registered mandatorily and the age of marriage for both genders across religions will be 21 years. This aims to ensure that they can complete their education before they get married. Some other key elements are a complete ban on polygamy, child marriage and triple talaq and a uniform process for divorce. The Code will not apply to Scheduled Tribes.

The legislation also aims to ensure equality among communities in terms of inheritance rights. The UCC also recognises children born out of live-in relationships as a “legitimate child of the couple” and ensures that they get equal rights in inheritance. Both sons and daughters will be referred to as child, omitting any gender differences.

The Uniform Civil Code bans practices that some sections of Muslim society follow when a woman loses her husband or gets divorced, including nikah halala and iddat.

Dehradun:

Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s secretary Shailesh Bagoli said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttarakhand on January 27, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Dehradun.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami will also launch the UCC portal on the same day. The UCC portal will be launched at 12:30 pm on January 27 at the Secretariat. Uttarakhand will be the first state in independent India to implement UCC.

The Uttarakhand government has implemented the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Act, 2024, establishing a streamlined framework for the creation and cancellation of wills and supplementary documents, known as codicils, under testamentary succession.

Uttarakhand government on Wednesday notified the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which contains clarity of legal provisions for marital conditions and protection of individual rights and social harmony, an official statement read.

According to the state government, this act applies to the entire area of the state of Uttarakhand and is also effective on the residents of the state living outside Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), aiming to simplify and standardize personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance.

The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.

This Act does not apply to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) notified under Article 342 and Article 366 (25) of the Constitution and protected authority-empowered persons and communities under Part XXI have also been excluded from its purview.

To streamline and simplify the legal processes related to marriage, a public welfare system promoting the protection of individual rights and social harmony has been provided in the Uniform Civil Code Act, 2024 of Uttarakhand, the statement added.

Under this, marriage can be solemnised only between those parties, none of whom has a living spouse, both are mentally capable of giving legal permission, the man should have completed at least 21 years of age and the woman 18 years of age and they should not be in the ambit of prohibited relationships.

Marriage rituals can be performed in any form under religious customs or legal provisions, but it is mandatory to register marriages taking place after the implementation of the Act within 60 days.

Whereas marriages taking place from March 26, 2010, to the implementation of the Act will have to be registered within 6 months. Those who have already registered as per the prescribed standards, although they are not required to register again, will still have to acknowledge the registration done earlier.

Marriages solemnised before March 26, 2010, or outside the state of Uttarakhand, where both the parties have been living together since then and fulfil all the legal eligibility criteria, can (although it is not mandatory) get registered within six months of the coming into force of the Act, said an official statement.

Similarly, the work of acceptance and acknowledgement of marriage registration is also required to be completed promptly. After receiving the application, the sub-registrar has to make an appropriate decision within 15 days.

According to the statement, if no decision is taken on the application related to marriage registration within the prescribed period of 15 days, then that application is automatically forwarded to the registrar; whereas, in case of acknowledgement, the application will be considered automatically accepted after the same period.

Along with this, a transparent appeal process is also available if the registration application is rejected. There is a provision of penalty for giving false information for registration under the Act and it has also been clarified that the marriage will not be considered invalid merely due to non-registration. Registration can be done both online and offline.

To implement these provisions, the state government will appoint a registrar general, Registration and sub-registrar, who will ensure the maintenance and monitoring of the relevant records.

This Act also lays down who can marry and how marriages are to be solemnised and also provides clear provisions on how both new and old marriages can be legally recognised, the statement added.

Earlier the Uttarakhand Government’s Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) conducted a mock drill for the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Portal, marking a significant step in the portal’s operational readiness ahead of its official rollout.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dehradun:

The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Cabinet approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) manual during a meeting at the state secretariat on Monday, with the dates for its implementation to be announced soon.

The Cabinet approved the manual after making partial amendments to the rules recently prepared for implementing the UCC. The amended rules, examined by the Law Department, were discussed and finalised during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Addressing the media post-meeting, Chief Minister Dhami emphasised the government’s commitment to fulfilling its electoral promise.

“We had promised the people of Uttarakhand during the 2022 elections that the UCC will be implemented as soon as our government is formed. We brought it, the draft committee drafted it and it was passed. The President then approved it and it became an Act. The process of training is also almost complete,” Mr Dhami stated.

He further noted the significance of Uttarakhand becoming the first state in India to implement the UCC, saying, “We have completed analysing it and discussed it in the Cabinet today. The dates will be announced soon. Since we are setting a precedent, it is essential to thoroughly examine and prepare for its implementation.”

The UCC will create a unified legal framework for all religious communities in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. While India has a uniform criminal code, a similar civil law framework does not currently exist.

The law explicitly excludes tribal communities and bans practices like ‘halala’, ‘iddat’, and ‘talaq’, which are part of the Muslim Personal Law.

The UCC, comprising 392 Sections under seven schedules, is based on a detailed 750-page draft spread across four volumes. This draft was prepared by a five-member expert committee formed in June 2022 to examine the introduction of the law in Uttarakhand.

The committee, led by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai submitted its draft to the state government on February 2, 2024.

The draft was passed by the State Cabinet on February 4, followed by the Assembly during a special session.

It received the approval of Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) on February 28, making it a landmark legislation in Indian legal history.

Bareilly:

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday highlighted the various initiatives undertaken in the state, reaffirming the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the “Devbhoomi” this month.

Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to have UCC Act, which seeks to establish a uniform and an equal set of rules on marriage, divorce, succession and inheritance for all citizens in the state, except the Scheduled Tribes (STs), irrespective of religion. It makes registration of all marriages and live-in relationships mandatory.

“We have formulated the Uniform Civil Code law in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. This is the state’s first honour and will be implemented within this month,” Mr Dhami said during the inauguration of the 29th Uttarayani Mela in Bareilly.

He compared the UCC to India’s sacred rivers such as Sharda, Ganga, Saraswati and Kaveri, stating that just as they sustain life across the country, the UCC will work similarly.

Regarding the state’s tourism and infrastructure initiatives, Mr Dhami said, “In Haridwar and Rishikesh, we are planning to develop the Ganga Corridor. Work on a corridor along the Sharda River has also begun.” He added that Uttarakhand continues to see an increasing influx of devotees and tourists which would be bolstered by the reconstruction efforts in Kedarnath and the master plan underway at Badrinath Dham.

Mr Dhami also announced beautification and restoration efforts for temples in the Kumaon region and development at Purnagiri.

“It gives me immense joy that more devotees from Uttar Pradesh visit Purnagiri. We are creating the Sharda Corridor, which will enhance the ghats and beautify the area,” he said.

The chief minister expressed hope for Uttarakhand becoming a hub for destination weddings and tourism, emphasising the state’s growing reputation.

“Handicraft products from Uttarakhand are gaining recognition among multinational companies and women in the state are doing excellent work. Over one lakh women in Uttarakhand are now earning a substantial income. We will provide them with interest-free loans,” he said.

On governance and security, Mr Dhami shared progress on several legal reforms, including the anti-conversion law, the introduction of anti-riot legislation and measures to counter exam malpractice.

“We have taken strong steps by enacting an anti-riot law. Any damages caused during riots will be recovered from the perpetrators.

“Similarly, with our anti-cheating law, over 100 individuals involved in exam malpractice have been jailed. This ensures fair opportunities for deserving candidates,” he added.

Mr Dhami mentioned initiatives to combat “land jihad”, stating that 5,000 acres of encroached land have been freed. He also discussed tackling issues like “spit jihad” with new laws to maintain public order.

Looking ahead, the chief minister announced that the 28th National Games would commence on January 28 in Uttarakhand, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to inaugurate the event.

Earlier, Mr Dhami inaugurated the 29th Uttarayani Mela where he was accompanied by Bareilly MP Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, Mayor Dr Umesh Gautam and Cantonment MLA Sanjeev Aggarwal.

The three-day fair, held at Bareilly Club Ground, showcases Uttarakhand’s culture, music and dance, delighting attendees with performances by local artists and food stalls featuring traditional delicacies.

The UCC has been on the BJP’s agenda nationally for many years. But the party’s government in Uttarakhand became the first to take a concrete step towards implementing it just before the Lok Sabha elections last year.

An expert committee formed by Mr Dhami and headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai submitted a comprehensive draft in four volumes to the state government in February 2024.

Acting on the draft, the state government presented the Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Assembly a few days later and it was passed on February 7.

The UCC Act received President Droupadi Murmu’s approval on March 11, making the hill state the first in independent India to have a UCC Act.

A nine-member state government-appointed panel, chaired by former chief secretary Singh to lay down the rules for the UCC’s implementation panel, submitted its final report. Mr Dhami has previously said in no unclear terms that the UCC will be implemented in January.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)