Suvendu Adhikari Govt To Table UCC Bill In Assembly Next Week, West Bengal Next On Uniform Civil Code Path After Uttarakhand, Gujarat And Assam

Kolkata: The Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal is set to introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the state Assembly next week, signalling its intent to deliver on a key electoral commitment. The decision to move ahead with the UCC bill comes after the party’s landslide victory that ended the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule, with the BJP winning 207 seats initially and later 208 after the Falta repoll.

After the passing of the legislation in the Assembly, West Bengal will join Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam as BJP-ruled states pursuing a common set of civil laws. The proposed code aims to replace religion-based personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and succession with uniform rules for all citizens, regardless of faith. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised during the release of the party’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ that a UCC would be brought in within 6 months of the BJP forming government in the state.

Further details are awaited.