LUCKNOW Following Union home minister Amit Shah’s strong pitch for implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across all 21 BJP-led NDA states before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, the contentious issue has returned to the political conversation in UP, where assembly elections are due early next year.
For the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the path is clear. The UCC represents the final pillar of its core ideological troika, following the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K.
“The UCC has always been part of BJP’s core goal and election manifesto like the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K. The party is committed to bring UCC. Now, after union home minister’s statement, the state government will move in this direction,” said Dinesh Pratap Singh, chief spokesperson, state BJP.
However, the party’s allies in UP are keeping their distance for now. They are yet to come up with an official stand, reflecting political caution in the caste-sensitive UP.
Will the Yogi Adityanath government give UCC a push in the run-up to 2027 to counter opposition’s caste-based politics? For now, UCC remains a promise in Uttar Pradesh.
“I will not comment on the issue at present. I will get back after consulting the party high command,” said RLD national general secretary Anil Dubey.
Led by Jayant Chaudhary, RLD is part of the NDA at the Centre and in the Yogi government, with its core base being Jats and farmers in west UP. Dubey’s line – “will consult high command” – shows reluctance to take a public stand. RLD worries that UCC’s provisions on inheritance and marriage customs may be seen as interference in customary practices, especially in the Khap belt. But as Union minister, Chaudhary is unlikely to oppose it openly.
Apna Dal (Soneylal) has a core base of Kurmis and non-Yadav OBCs in east UP. Its state president RP Gautam also refused to comment, saying the party high command will comment on the issue. Party chief Anupriya Patel is MoS at the Centre and has balanced OBC empowerment pitch with Hindutva. The party may support UCC in principle, but will demand clarity that tribal customs and OBC personal practices are not disturbed.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, a vocal ally and minister in the Yogi cabinet, draws its base from the backward Rajbhar community. In the past, the minister has opposed anything seen as an upper caste imposition. He is likely to seek a detailed draft first, push for exemptions like the Uttarakhand model gave to tribals and demand that UCC should not affect backward communities’ rituals.
The pattern among allies is clear: No open opposition to BJP’s core ideological agenda, but also no immediate endorsement before seeing the draft.
Amid the speculation, the State Law Commission has received no request from the UP government to prepare the draft, highly reliable sources told HT.
People in the know of things said before the state government can enact any law, it asks State Law Commission to prepare a draft.
“The office of State Law Commission has not yet received any request from the state government to prepare a draft of UCC,” said a senior official. Former high court judge Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava is the chairman of the commission.
“The narrative around UCC will help the party counter the opposition’s poll plank on caste to some extent,” said a senior BJP leader.
For UP, which has a complex caste and community matrix, timing is crucial. The UP government is currently focused on investment, electronics and semiconductor hub narrative, one-trillion dollar economy goal and law & order plank, while the BJP is weighing UCC as part of its national promise.
Sources in the Law Commission said the draft, whenever sought, would need wide consultations, study of Uttarakhand model which uniformises laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, live-in relationships, and adaptation to UP’s population size and social diversity. The commission has infrastructure to prepare the draft quickly once the request comes, but so far no communication has been made.
With assembly elections in five months, the government appears to be keeping UCC for post-poll push, aligning with Shah’s 2029 timeline.
Four BJP-ruled states have so far passed the UCC legislation. Uttarakhand became the first to enact the law in February 2024 and implement it from January 2025, while Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh are awaiting presidential assent. Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have constituted committees.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X, stated: “Public understands that the UCC BJP is talking about actually has a different full form: UCC = Underground Communal Conspiracy. First fulfil previous promises, then bring UCC. Transfer ₹15 lakh into accounts, then bring UCC. Provide 2 crore jobs, then bring UCC.”
