West Bengal To Follow Gujarat, Assam Model On Uniform Civil Code: Suvendu Adhikari

The West Bengal government will introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the legislative assembly on Monday during the ongoing budget session, PTI reported. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Friday that his government would implement the code by following due legal procedures, marking a major policy shift in the state.

A source in the Adhikari-led cabinet said the Business Advisory Committee finalised the decision to table the bill during a meeting in the assembly on Thursday evening. The move comes much ahead of the party's self-imposed six-month deadline.

"There is a procedure for UCC implementation, and we will adhere to that. This will be similar to Gujarat and Assam," Adhikari said, referring to the states that have initiated legislative steps to govern marriage, divorce, and inheritance.

Manifesto Promise Fast-Tracked

The legislative schedule accelerates a core pledge from the Bharatiya Janata Party's 2026 assembly election manifesto, the 'Sankalp Patra'. The party had pledged to implement the UCC within six months of coming to power in West Bengal.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah prominently highlighted this promise while unveiling the manifesto in April. The proposed law represents both a major governance promise and a politically significant reform for the party.

“Several states, including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, have already implemented the UCC proposals. Bengal will now also implement it in line with other BJP-ruled states as we had promised ahead of the elections,” a minister in the Adhikari cabinet said.

Tribute To Literary Icon

Adhikari spoke on the sidelines of a government programme at College Street in north Kolkata to celebrate the 189th birth anniversary of literary icon Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The Chief Minister paid floral tributes to Chattopadhyay, who composed the national song 'Vande Mataram'.

During the event, Adhikari announced that the state government would build a national-level 'Vande Mataram' museum. The project will mark 150 years of the historic national song.