Bengal likely to table UCC Bill today; BJP, divided TMC brace for first showdown

The UCC debate is set to become the first major political confrontation between the BJP government and both TMC factions, with the ruling party defending a key manifesto promise and the opposition preparing a coordinated challenge inside and outside the Assembly.

In Short

• Bill aims for common civil laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance across religions
• BJP calls it key poll promise; opposition questions constitutional and social consensus
• TMC to strongly oppose, citing need for wider consultation and plural character

The Suvendu Adhikari government is likely to table the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the Assembly on Monday, barely two months after the BJP ended the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in West Bengal. The proposed legislation is set to trigger the first major ideological clash with both factions of the TMC, which split into rival camps following the 2026 Assembly election results, and is expected to dominate the ongoing Budget session.

The Bill seeks to create a common civil framework for marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance and adoption across religions. For the BJP, it is the delivery of a key election promise and a restatement of its long-held stand that all citizens should be governed by one set of civil laws. For the opposition, it has raised questions about constitutional safeguards, social consensus and whether a change affecting different communities can be carried out without wider consultation.

The move comes well before the six-month deadline set by the BJP in its Sankalp Patra ahead of the Assembly elections. While releasing the manifesto, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said a BJP government in West Bengal would implement the UCC within six months of taking office, presenting it as a step to ensure equality before the law regardless of faith.

The proposed law would replace personal laws in matters such as marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance and adoption with a common legal structure for all citizens, while keeping constitutional exemptions for certain groups.

On Friday, Suvendu Adhikari gave the strongest signal yet that the government planned to proceed with the legislation during the current session. “The way it (UCC) was implemented in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam by following a procedure. Similarly, it will be implemented in West Bengal. I will inform the Assembly on Monday,” he said.

His remarks pointed to the government's intention to move quickly on one of its central campaign commitments and shape West Bengal's framework on the lines of systems adopted in other BJP-ruled states. His stress on procedure also appeared to respond to criticism from opponents who have said a reform with wide social and legal effects should follow extensive consultation.

UCC'S FIRST POLITICAL TEST

Ahead of the Bill's introduction, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya sought to address one of the main concerns around the proposal, saying constitutionally protected tribal communities would remain outside its scope. “The BJP's position on the UCC is longstanding and unequivocal. It is part of our political commitment and election manifesto,” Bhattacharya said in a social media post on Saturday.

The Bengal BJP chief pointed out that members of Scheduled Tribes recognised under Articles 366(25) and 342 of the Constitution would remain exempt from the proposed law, and that their customs, traditions and special rights would continue to be protected. Bhattacharya also rejected claims that the legislation was linked to family-size regulation, saying such provisions were “neither the objective nor a part of the UCC.”

The government has presented the Bill as a governance measure based on constitutional principles, arguing that a uniform set of civil laws would strengthen legal equality and remove disparities created by religion-based personal laws. Opposition parties, however, have said the issue is as much political as it is legal.

At a strategy meeting with party MLAs and senior leaders on Friday, TMC chairperson and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee told the party to oppose the Bill strongly inside and outside the Assembly. According to the party's position, the proposal raises broader questions of constitutional morality, social consent and India's plural character.

TMC PREPARES FOR SHOWDOWN

Senior TMC leaders have accused the BJP of using the legislation as a political instrument rather than pursuing legal reform. “The question is whether the UCC is genuinely being brought for the welfare of citizens and constitutional values, or whether it is being used as an instrument of political polarisation,” a senior TMC leader told news agency PTI.

Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee, whose rebel faction has challenged Mamata Banerjee's leadership, has also questioned the pace at which the government is moving. “I don't understand what the hurry is. A matter like the UCC requires extensive discussion and consultation,” Banerjee said recently, arguing that legislation dealing with personal laws and family matters should not be pushed through without wider public debate.

The development comes as the Suvendu Adhikari government is also likely to table two more Bills in the Assembly on Monday, providing for stringent measures to maintain law and order in the state.

The two proposed legislations -- the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-social Activities Bill, 2026 and the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2026 -- are also likely to be introduced in the Assembly.

The Bills contain provisions to deal strictly with organised anti-social activities such as extortion, or "tolabaji", which was a repeated complaint during the earlier TMC regime. They also aim to curb activities that cause public disorder, vandalism, and attacks on police personnel and other public servants.

According to the proposed legislation, preventive detention for up to one year can be ordered if a person is identified as posing a threat to public safety. The Bills also propose the confiscation of an offender's property for auction to compensate for losses.

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Inputs from PTI