Bengal to table UCC Bill in Assembly on Monday, says CM Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Friday that his government would implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state by following due legal procedure, on the lines of Gujarat and Assam. A UCC Bill is likely to be introduced in the assembly on Monday during the ongoing budget session, ahead of the BJP's stated six-month deadline, a source in the Adhikari-led cabinet said.

The source said the matter was discussed and finalised at a Business Advisory Committee meeting in the assembly on Thursday evening. Ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, the BJP had promised in its manifesto that the UCC would be implemented within six months of coming to power in the state. The code covers matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Speaking on the sidelines of a government programme to mark the 189th birth anniversary of literary icon Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at College Street in north Kolkata, Adhikari said the state would follow the prescribed process for bringing in the UCC.

"There is a procedure for UCC implementation, and we will adhere to that. This will be similar to Gujarat and Assam," he said, referring to the two states that have initiated legislative and administrative steps towards adopting a Uniform Civil Code.

The BJP had highlighted the promise in its 'Sankalp Patra', unveiled in April by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. A minister in the Adhikari cabinet said, "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."

During the programme, Adhikari paid floral tributes to Chattopadhyay, the composer of the national song 'Vande Mataram'. He also announced that the state government would build a national-level 'Vande Mataram' museum as part of the celebrations marking 150 years of the song.

In summary, Adhikari said West Bengal would move ahead with the Uniform Civil Code by following due process, with the bill likely to come up in the assembly on Monday, while also announcing a national-level museum dedicated tao 'Vande Mataram' at the Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay anniversary programme.

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